TAWAU: The police and the armed forces should become more “sophisticated” in changing the negative perception of the community towards their role of policing and military service, said Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Datuk Dr Haji Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
Junaidi said an approach should be applied in which the role and success of the security forces should be exposed to the public from time to time either via the print media and electronic media or the alternative media.
He was speaking at a dinner reception together with other invited guests at a restaurant here on Friday night.
Also present were the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan, Tawau police chief ACP Awang Besar Bin Dullah, Sebatik Assemblyman Muis Picho and Tawau Municipal Council (TMC) President Datuk Ismail Mayakob.
“It is important for the people to know what are being done or will be done by the police wherein any negative perception among the community could be explained by a quick spread of positive information through proper channels.
“Nobody will know how much we have done for the people if we are not disseminating or sharing the information with them. Thus, the creation of positive perception should be put in place to bring the people closer to the police,” Junaidi said in his first visit to Tawau.
Apart from the familiarization visit here, Junaidi hoped that further improvements could be made in terms of physical and security measures on the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) that covers 1,400 km of the east coast of Sabah from Kudat to Tawau.
Junaidi hoped the enforcement forces could strive hard, looking for more sophisticated technology for surveillance process.