Extending the service of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Musa Hassan has drawn fire rom several quarters as well as cautious optimism that it may provide him with an opportunity to cut the crime rate.

For DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang the decision "makes a mockery" of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's key performance index (KPI) and national key result area (NKRA).

"The IGP has been rewarded for the shocking rise in crime," he told Malaysiakini today.

lim kit siang 111204 Citing the Star online poll where 80 percent of the respondents had expressed no confidence in the MACC, Lim ( left ) said that the police force and MACC are "competing" as to who would go the lowest in public opinion.

"It is a sad commentary on the efficiency and effectiveness of Najib's public initiatives," he added.

On the other hand, Transparency International secretary general Dr Loi Kheng Min's hope is that with this extension, the IGP would do a better job.

"With his extension, I hope that he would bring down the crime rate in line with the NKRA," he said.

National interest disregarded

However, SUARAM chairperson K. Arumugam said that the IPG should reject the extension for his failure to control crime in the past.

"So endemic is the problem that he should decline appointment for national interest," he said.

Welcoming the extension, Center of Public Policy Studies chairperson Ramon Navaratnam hoped that the IGP would do much more to reduce the rising crime rate than previously.

Referring to the public perception of selectivity in police probes, Navaratnam described it as a serious matter which the IGP not only must prove wrong but actively overcome within the next one year.

Stressing that the public should not entirely blame the police for the rise in crime rate, he said that other factors such as economic recession and unemployment come into play as well.

Echoing Navaratnam's view, Aliran committee member Anil Netto said that all criminal cases should not be attributed to the police alone.

Not all rising crime rates are due to lax policing but the social situation plays a role as well, he said.

On the police part, he said: "Instead of taking action to silence protesters and critics, the IGP should concentrate on resolving crime, particularly the cow head incident."

However, he said that without the Independent Police Complaints and Misconducts Commission (IPCMC), it does not matter who is in charge as there is no institution to safeguard the integrity of the police force.

"There is no available avenue for us to file complaints of misconduct. By right, as part of the reforms, royal commission reports should be implemented," he said.

The IPCMC was proposed by the Royal Commission in 2005 to enhance the operation and management of the police force.

Emphasising that reforms within the force is important for allegations of misconduct to cease, he said, adding that the government should provide the reason for the extension of IGP's contract.