Former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan is all for the disbanding of three elite teams of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) in efforts to restructure the police force.

The teams reported will be disbanded are the special tactical intelligence narcotics group (Sting), special task force for anti-vice, gaming and gangsterism (Stagg), and the special task force on organised crime (Stafoc).

He said, previously the roles of PDRM’s long-standing elite teams, namely, the special action unit (UTK) and the VAT 69 Commando were adequate for crime intervention and prevention operations.

“What I see now is the Sting, Stagg and Stafoc teams under their respective department directors and the IGP does not know what they are doing.

“Hence, I agree that the three teams be disbanded because the IGP needs to know how many operations are being carried out by the police force,” he said in an exclusive interview with Bernama in Kuala Lumpur.

“There is no need for elite troops in each unit because the number of PDRM personnel are insufficient and these elite teams are also placed under the IGP’s authority,” he said.

Musa said when he was an IGP, all PDRM department directors were to brief him on the operations and thus, he knew the operations of various police departments.

“After all, the IGP needs to know all the operations carried out by the PDRM department directors in this country.

He said the elite troops acted on the IGP’s instructions to carry out operations instead of intelligence.

“We only engage both teams (UTK and VAT 69) whenever there was a danger that the suspects who we were about to detain were found to be carrying firearms and that’s when the elite troops were roped in,” he said.

On June 26, Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the government would disband a few of PDRM special teams as part of the restructuring of the police force in the near future.

- Bernama