KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — Malaysians can expect to see local police officers donning body worn cameras (BWC) on a daily basis in two more years.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the full rollout of the BWC is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025.
“At this time, the ministry is undertaking the procurement,” he said in a written parliamentary reply yesterday to Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng who had asked for an update on the BWC.
Saifuddin Nasution said the Home Ministry’s Procurement Board is expected to sit next month and an acceptance letter is expected to be issued in December.
“The full use of the BWC by PDRM is expected in the first quarter of 2025 taking into account the whole supply process such as testing, site visits, training and accreditation from January 2024 to December 2024,” he added, using the Malay abbreviation for the Royal Malaysia Police.
Equipping Malaysian frontline law enforcers with BWC had been talked about for years as a way to address allegations of brutality and corruption.
Lim had asked the Home Ministry about the BWC several times this year after police detained four people in January while raiding an allegedly unlicensed entertainment outlet in George Town, Penang.
In his written reply, Saifuddin Nasution said the government had approved an allocation of RM30 million to procure the BWC under the first rolling plan of the 12th Malaysia Plan in 2021 for police use.
He added that the BWC was approved for procurement through open tender and the project was to be completed within 24 months.
