YOURSAY | ‘The equipment is only as useful and as good as the person using it.’

Body cameras will ensure transparency, prevent abuse - IGP

Wira: Dear Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador, I believe every police station in the country is equipped with closed-circuit cameras (CCTV) too.

However, whenever there is an "accidental" death in the police station, those cameras are either"not working" or "under maintenance".

So, how are you going to ensure that these body cameras would not suddenly cease to function wherever police misbehaviour occurs?

Anyway, the supplier of those cameras is going to get a "durian runtuh" (big windfall).

To convince the public that the police body camera idea will prove effective, please get the police stations’ CCTV to function efficiently first.

Gaji Buta: It is a positive statement from police chief Abdul Hamid to help the police clean up their act. I hope they get the body cameras quickly and cut down the alleged abuse of power immediately.

Sukan 7: But how will Abdul Hamid and the authorities compel the police officers to wear the cameras at all times when on duty and ensure it is not switched off at certain important moments?

Anonymous 1537050742: I hope the police don't bore the public with grand new announcements.

The irrelevant announcements, like the introduction of body cameras, are just sideshows and distractions.

Where is Jho Low? The police made big pronouncements about tracking down the fugitive businessperson wanted for his involvement in the 1MDB scandal before Hari Raya in June, and even claimed that the authorities will have him back in Malaysian soil soon.

Hari Raya came and gone and soon it will be Christmas.

Also, don't forget about the gay sex video case. When is the Malaysian public going to see the outcome of the case and the culprits charged in court?

It will be better for Abdul Hamid to update Malaysians about the constraints and frustrations faced by the police in pursuing the above two major issues confronting the country now. All the rest are just distractions.

Kangkuong: Can we trust the Malaysian police to solve cases by using the images captured on their body cameras?

Next, they will say the video captured cannot authenticate the faces of the culprits. Yes, solve the currently unsolved problems first, starting with the much-publicised gay sex video case.

Anonymous 2460851488616887: Indeed, I can foresee that not long after introducing the body cameras for the police force, they will say that the video resolution is not good enough to identify suspects.

More millions will then need to be spent to upgrade the cameras.

Anonymous 1544340881: I am sure Abdul Hamid is mistaken. Transparency and prevention of abuse do not depend on equipment but depends on the quality of the people.

The purchases of body cameras could be just another money-making exercise for some well-connected company which will supply the equipment and maintain it.

There is a high chance the body cameras will malfunction most of the time, especially at critical times precisely when abuse is about to take place.

The equipment is only as useful and as good as the person using it.

Anonymous 1544340881: Nobody intending to commit a wrong would do it in front of a camera.

If indeed the police body camera did capture the footage of wrongdoing taking place, then it would be conveniently damaged, such as in a shootout in which the suspects are all conveniently found dead.

As witnessed in the recent high-profile VIP gay sex video case, despite the presence of the video footage, somehow all the best technology cannot determine the identity of the person involved.

There are cameras at Immigration checkpoints and all over the entire airport, and yet illegal immigrants routinely enter the country.

There are many other such examples, and I am sorry to say that I feel the implementation of body cameras for the police force is just window dressing.

People in the enforcement involved in corrupt practices are so used to the extra income and throwing their weight around by being abusive that if there is an attempt to put a stop to it, they would resist and it may not end well.

Anonymous 1544340881: Abdul Hamid and the police issued many “final warnings” about hate speech. However, many politicians are still spewing nonsense and hatred regularly.

Maybe, the Malaysian police need to wait for the body cameras to record the hate speeches first before taking action.

But judging from the recent sex video case, the police will then conclude that they could not identify the person making the hate speech in the video.

David Dass: There is much to be done to instil discipline and respect for the law by some members of the police force.

It is sometimes hard to convince the public that those arrested on suspicion of committing a serious crime deserve to be treated humanely. The public need to be educated as to what our laws are in this regard.

Suspects are only suspects. Their guilt has to be proven by evidence produced in a court of law and the decision of their guilt or innocence made by a judge.

Quite often, when someone is arrested well before any evidence is obtained, the person is then released when it becomes clear that he or she was not involved.

Under the Malaysian legal system, vigilante justice is not allowed. There are strict rules as to how a confession or admission is to be obtained. No threat, inducement or torture is allowed.

It is known that sometimes police officers convinced of the suspects’ guilt plant evidence. And it is only the skill of the lawyer that exposes the lie.

CCTV in lock-ups and body camera will help. But in the end, a cultural change is required. And that is not going to be easy.

This is a problem not peculiar to Malaysia. It occurs all over the world.

Cogito Ergo Sum: Over the years, it becomes a culture when beatings and threats are part of the justice system. The rising number of custodial deaths have not stopped this culture.

And it will go on until the authorities are educated into thinking like proper law enforcement officers.

The Pakatan Harapan government lacks the political will to implement this.

The needed change will not happen when even Harapan elected representatives are being hauled by the police for questioning just like the “good old days” when they were in the opposition.

The Wakandan: With so many deaths in detention and extrajudicial killing cases that we read regularly in the news, I can’t blame the scepticism among the public regarding the police body camera announcement.

For the sake of the nation, I hope the idea works this time. The question is, however, how effective will the body camera be if the work ethics remain unchanged.

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