The Lock-up Rule 1953 is a piece of pre-Merdeka subsidiary legislation.

As for any pre-Merdeka legislation, the authoritative text is in English. At the Police Cadet School, the police rank-and-file are trained in the national language.

The Bahasa Malaysia version of Rule 9A is as following:

Kaedah 9A: Gunting Rambut

'Tiap-tiap banduan, kecuali seorang Sikh yang biasa menyimpan rambut panjang atas alasan keagamaan, hendaklah waktu masuk digunting rambutnya pendek-pendek.'

The Attorney General's Chambers should, therefore, reconcile the Lock-up Rules and the Prisons Regulation 2000.

Rule 17(3) of the Prisons Regulation 2000 provides:

'The hair of unconvicted prisoners shall be kept, as far as cleanliness permits, in the same state as it was on admission".

We don't expect the police constable to apply the literal or purposive interpretation of the lock-up rules.