Ever since the day then top officer Abdul Rahim Noor beat Anwar Ibrahim in a dark, dank cell in ironically named Bukit Aman in September 1998, the office of Inspector General of Police began to be perceived as part rather than above the fray of Malaysian politics.

The infamous ‘black eye’ Rahim delivered Anwar was felt to have had repercussions for our understanding of the distinction between serving the state and serving the government of the day.