SHAH ALAM, Sept 24 — A detailed study of the police standard operating procedures (SOP) will be carried out immediately to prevent injury or death to policemen when nabbing criminals.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Mohd Zinin said the study was crucial due to the risks posed by the duties of police officers and men.

“We will conduct a review of our SOP because the police are always exposed to danger,” he said.

Mohd Bakri was representing Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar when opening the 2013 Women Police seminar here today.  Commenting on the death of a policeman when attempting to detain a suspect in ‘Ops Lejang’ at the Cheng Technology Park in Melaka yesterday, he said the police would scrutinise the SOP, especially involving high risk cases.

In the incident, Corporal Zal-Azri Abdul Somad, 31, from the Melaka police contingent headquarters, was bludgeoned to death with a brick.  In his speech text, the IGP said the police would recruit more policemen, based on the need and vacancy available, and sought to boost the number of women in the force after recruitment was stopped three years ago.  “Currently, there are 11,523 women police personnel or 10.4 per cent of the overall number of police personnel in the Royal Malaysia Police Force (PDRM),” he said.

He said PDRM had set a target of 30 per cent women police personnel at the decision-making level, namely, from the post of superintendent upwards. However, he did not set a time frame to meet the target.

Currently, he said only 7.4 per cent of women police personnel were holding the posts.

The three-day seminar which ends tomorrow, involves 150 officers from the rank of inspector and upwards, from throughout the nation.— Bernama