The royal commission on the police force submitted its report to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today.

Lead by its head Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah, the 16-member commission submitted the report to the King at the Istana Negara this morning.

Following this, a copy of the 433-page document was handed to the premier at his office in Putrajaya later in the afternoon.

However, only reporters from the national news agency Bernama and Malay daily Utusan Malaysia were permitted to interview Abdullah after the meeting with the commissioners.

It is learnt that the report, which contains 15 chapters, has been classified as 'confidential' and thus cannot be revealed to the public.

Contacted later, two commissioners, who declined to be named, said the government had promised to study the report.

Submit to the cabinet

Meanwhile, Abdullah was quoted as saying by Bernama that he will submit the report to the cabinet and study the details before deciding on the next course of action.

"I think the suggestions will help me in the effort to improve the service and subsequently the image and credibility of the police force," he said.

He added that a decision on whether to make the report public will be made after it is submitted to the cabinet.

The commission - known in full as the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operations and Management of the Royal Malaysian Police - was formed on Feb 4 last year.

It was tasked to investigate the role and responsibilities of the police in enforcing the country's laws, the human resource development for police personnel, the work ethics and procedures for police personnel and human rights issues related to police duties.

In its report, the commission will make recommendations to enhance and modernise the police force.

It was earlier given a one-year deadline to submit the recommendations to the King, which later was extended for another three months.

It was reported that the commission collected information, feedback, complaints and suggestions from the public, non-governmental organisations, professional organisations and political parties.

The commission has held 27 public inquiries nationwide, which were attended by almost 550 complainants, and received over 400 letters and over 200 complaints through its website.

The commission visited police facilities and received briefings from the police, Anti-Corruption Agency, Public Services Department, Bank Negara Malaysia and Public Complaints Bureau.