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IPOH: Both Corporal Baharuddin Ramli and Corporal Norihan Tari, who was seriously injured in a shootout along the Malaysian-Thai border yesterday morning, did not wear bulletproof vests because they were conducting intelligence work and not patrolling.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (IGP) Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said that in addition to not wearing bulletproof vests, officers or personnel involved in intelligence work were also not given heavy weapons to conceal their identities.
“During the incident, both were doing intelligence work and were not on patrol. In accordance with standard operating procedures (SOPs), all security personnel on patrol duty must wear uniforms and protective equipment.
“However, when they do intelligence work or go undercover, they cannot wear bulletproof vests or heavy weapons,” he said after witnessing the transfer of duties of the Perak police chief here today.
He was answering questions posed by netizens about why the two General Operations Force (GOF) staff members of the Senoi Praaq team were not wearing bulletproof vests and were only armed with Walther P99 pistols.
In the 3.10 am incident, Baharuddin, 54, was shot and killed while Norihan, 39, was seriously injured. He subsequently received treatment at Tuanku Fauziah Hospital, Kangar.
Acryl Sani said the Bukit Aman Department of Homeland Security and Public Order was reviewing the current SOP for patrol duties, intelligence work and prevention operations to ensure the safety of officers, staff and the public.
In addition to that, he said that the police had requested 36 new armored personnel carriers (APCs) to ensure the safety of personnel conducting patrols in the border areas of Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and the Eastern Sabah Security Command.
He said that some of the current APCs had been in use for more than 40 years.
Meanwhile, two more Thais were arrested today in Perlis, bringing to eight the number of Thai nationals detained in the fatal shooting at the Malaysia-Thailand border yesterday morning, IGP Abdul Hamid Bador said.
He said the two suspects were arrested at 7 a.m. at the border wall in Padang Besar, bringing the number of Thais captured in Malaysian territory after the shooting to four.
The other four suspects were arrested yesterday by Thai authorities in Thailand.
“We believe that these two Thais could not escape because they could not find a way to get through the border wall. So when we (the security forces) do a “sweep” in the farms and the bushes, we find these two.
“They have been brought in for further questioning. We are in talks and will make an official request to the Royal Thai Police to hand over the four arrested in Thailand to face justice (in Malaysia), ”said Hamid.
