IGP: Johor top cop's reshuffle to allow Ayob Khan to gain new experience, unrelated to Syed Saddiq’s mob attack

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — Former Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter-Terrorism (E8) principal assistant director Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay was transferred out and appointed as the next Johor police chief as needed exposure in other aspects of leadership. 

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said today despite the commendable job Ayob has done at leading his division, it would benefit him, in the long run, to be exposed to other leadership roles.

“For Datuk Ayob, he has been (there) too long. I think (if) I leave him there for a month or two more, people will start calling Datuk Ayob himself a terrorist because that has been his responsibility over the years,” Hamid joked. 

“He needs to be exposed, he has done a wonderful job, so he will be given a chance to lead and gain experience, and plus, he is still young,” he explained after attending the duty handover ceremony of the Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) at the Police Training Centre here this morning. 

Royal Malaysian Police yesterday released a circular announcing the transfer of Ayob to Johor, replacing Datuk Mohd Kamarudin Md Din who was transferred to Bukit Aman’s Management Department. 

Explaining further, Hamid denied the transfer of Mohd Kamarudin had anything to do with the recent mob attack incident involving Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman in Ulu Tiram last Friday. 

He said the timing of the transfers was pure coincidence and was the result of the force taking steps to reshuffle its personnel following the retirement of several senior ranked officers. 

“The change in Johor, despite there being a recent incident, coincidentally is within the exercise of several transfers due to those retiring, so there needs to be some adjustments made,” he said.

Hamid added Mohd Kamarudin was transferred back to the headquarters as there was a need for his expertise in handling cybercrimes given the recent resurgence in such offenses locally. 

“It’s very timely for him to come back (to Bukit Aman), he is going to have to adjust, he was a pioneer in that (cybercrime), and we want to give Datuk Ayob a chance to go there and gain experience,” Hamid said.