PETALING JAYA, April 27 — The police force have come under scrutiny in recent weeks for all the wrong reasons. 

There have been several cases this month where the men in blue were caught for various criminal activities such as kidnapping, bribery, sexual assault and extortion.  

On April 1, two police constables were detained by the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Aping Barat, Johor, after soliciting a RM300 bribe from a man who allegedly committed a traffic offence.

The constables, aged 24 and 25, were detained by MACC immediately after the money was handed over at their station.

On April 2, four policemen from Bukit Aman joined three accomplices in an attempt to extort money from a sundry shop worker in Mengkuang, Pahang.

The policemen, with ranks of corporal and sergeant, were from the Crime Prevention and Community Policing Department, Criminal Investigation Department, and IT Department.

Police detained all seven suspects, aged between 29 and 35. 

On April 16, four policemen and a woman constable were detained by MACC for allegedly accepting money from a man who wanted to settle a car theft case in Penang. 

Six days prior, another shocking incident was reported when a married corporal was detained after he sexually assaulted three teenagers who were being held for rioting at a detention centre in Jinjang. 

The 31-year-old corporal was charged for gross indecency with another individual on April 25 in a magistrate’s court in Kuala Lumpur.

On April 14, two policemen were suspended from their duties after they released a man who allegedly raped a four-year-old girl. 

The two lance corporals, aged 31 and 28, had apparently allowed the suspect, an illegal immigrant, to walk free as the mother of the victim, also an illegal immigrant, was afraid to lodge a police report, fearing she would be deported as she had no valid documents. 

After releasing the suspect, a Myanmar national, the two policemen did not lodge a report on the incident. The two cops were charged with intentionally releasing the suspect. 

On April 23, a police constable who was recently dismissed, tried to pass himself off as still being in the force before he was caught by police who were patrolling the area where he held a man for ransom. 

The suspect and his three accomplices abducted the victim in front of a bank along Jalan Dato’ Hamzah in Klang and demanded RM50,000 as ransom.

However, the victim could only manage to raise RM5,000. Before they could collect the ransom, a patrol unit arrested the suspects and seized a pistol and handcuffs from the suspects. 

A total of 3,677 police personnel were arrested for alleged involvment in criminal activities between 2010 and 2015.

While 521 officers were charged in court, 2,312 of them were released after investigations.