Bribe-taking, soliciting for ang pows or duit kopi , swapping urine samples, party to falsifying motor insurance claims, and recycling drugs, money and property logged as police evidence.

These are examples of some prevalent forms of corruption as documented by the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operations and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police in its 607-page report released on Monday.

Traffic personnel, detectives and investigating officers were found to be prone to bribe-taking .

The commission described the pervasive scourge within traffic law enforcement as "small, opportunistic corruption" but nonetheless substantial given motorists' willingness to bribe their way out of minor offences.

"In fact, corruption involving low-level traffic police personnel has an enormously damaging impact on the image of the PDRM due to its extensive nature," the commission said.

The police were also allegedly working hand-in-glove with alleged victims of motor vehicle accidents, lawyers and touts in marking up the insurance claims.

The commission also found that corruption involved crime syndicates with senior officers' collusion because it involved major, long-term schemes and large amounts of money.

"Big-time operators are seldom caught although the activities they are engaged in, such as illegal gambling, prostitution and drug-trafficking, can be relatively easily detected and acted upon."

Besides benefitting in cash, the commission found personnel to have allegedly benefitted in kind by being company shareholders or in long-term business partnerships.

Lucrative positions

In addition to traffic offenders, the commission found the sources of corruption to include crime syndicates running prostitute centres, illegal gambling and betting dens, drug traffickers and pushers, and operators of illegal discotheques/karaoke lounges and those who flout closing times.

Others sources of corruption are lawyers and their touts (know as runners), motor workshops and their touts, smuggling rings, undocumented migrant workers, human traffickers and personnel seeking "choice" promotions and transfers.

Corrupt practice within the force was also exposed in the bribery of superiors for recommending promotions or transfers to more lucrative positions such as in the Commercial Crime Investigations Department.

Lucrative positions are also found in the D7 Criminal Investigations Division (secret societies, prostitution and gambling), the Narcotics Department, the Logistics Department (Supplies and Tender) and the Promotions and Emplacement division.

"The division responsible for procurement of goods and services is particularly prone to corruption. It is in fact usually the place where the most common form of public corruption occurs," said the commission.

"Few activities offer greater opportunities for corruption than public procurement."

It said the complexity of the procurement procedures "lend themselves to manipulation" in many ways without any great risk of detection.

"It is an enormous source of waste of government expenditures, estimated to amount up to 30-40 percent more than the actual procurement costs."

Openly corrupt

Describing corruption as "a social disease that cannot be effectively eradicated without addressing the root causes", said the commission.

Numerous opportunities and temptations for bribe and corruption presented to (personnel) given their extensive powers and the inadequate checks against corrupt practices were among the major contributory factors.

"Corruption especially thrives in an environment of poor accountability and transparency," the commission said, adding that some factors would be applicable to other government agencies.

It also found a "culture of indifference, permissiveness and tolerance for corruption in PDRM, created partly by widespread incidence of corruption and poor example set for lower ranks by some senior police officers who are openly corrupt".

Then there is the desire for supplemental income among the lower-paid and the greed among the better-paid personnel and the inadequate and ineffective legal and institutional anti-corruption mechanisms which further stimulates corrupt practices.

The commission also highlighted examples of public complaints on alleged police corruption which included a case of a senior police officer making an asset declaration amounting to RM34 million.

The commission found the resulting loss of respect for the police force "palpable and pervasive" besides aggravating drug addiction, gambling and prostitution.

It said the "virulent disease" afflicting many societies is driven by those in authoritative positions with the involvement of both the community and private sector.

Under-reporting

Citing statistics from an Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) report on graft in government agencies between 1999 and 2003, the commission said the police were perceived as the most corrupt. ( See table )

However, the Road Transport Department ranked the highest in proportion to the respective workforce in 2003 in comparison to the police and town councils.

However, the commission was convinced there was "serious under-reporting of actual acts of corruption in the PDRM", which would be higher if reports were more forthcoming.

"The nature of corruption being such that hard evidence is difficult to come by. Nevertheless, there is widespread talk regarding the wealth amassed by high-ranking senior police officers.

"(We) would like to stress though, that there are also many police personnel of integrity in PDRM who serve the nation and the people with great devotion and sometimes personal sacrifice."

The commission said its own investigations and the analysis by the ACA and the Malaysian chapter of Transparency International further substantiated these reports.