The police force has finally shown its most positive sign that they are not resistant to public aspirations for police reform.

The force today received a pat on the back from none other than one of its most vocal observers, Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang.

"Inspector-General of Police Mohd Bakri Musa (right) deserves the highest praise for his speech yesterday. It is the most positive sign in the past 10 months that the police leadership is not totally resistant to public aspirations for police reform," he said in a statement.

Lim was referring to Mohd Bakri's speech at a police seminar on human rights yesterday in which he took district police chiefs to task .

"We have been teaching you about human rights all along ... you cannot say we have not been teaching you. If this (three-day seminar) is not enough, then we can make it longer.

"After that, if you still do not understand (human rights), then you might as well look for another job. We don't want stupid officers," the top cop was quoted as saying.

Lim said Bakri's speech has restored his (Lim's) confidence and faith that police reform and the establishment of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) were not totally lost causes.

"It (the speech) marks the end of the 10-month denial by the police leadership of police weaknesses and the need for far-reaching reforms if we are to have a clean, efficient, professional, human rights sensitive and world-class police service," he said.

Public confidence

Lim urged Bakri to also announce the police leadership's acceptance of the important proposal in the Royal Police Commission's report on the establishment of the IPCMC.

"This will go even further to restore public confidence in full police cooperation in creating a clean and professional police force," he said.

Last month, in the wake of a strong public outcry sparked by the infamous nude-squat video-clip, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced that the government would set up the IPCMC.

However, the proposal of this police watch-dog answerable to Parliament was not well received by both the police and Umno Youth .

The DAP leader said there was no basis for the mischievous view that the proposed IPCMC was meant to harass, demoralise and humiliate the 100,000-strong police force.

"It was admitted police black sheep comprise only one percent of the police force," Lim reminded.