Towards Lesser Crime In JB (5)

Impersonating Police Officers

Bogus Cops Get Six Years And Cane

JOHOR BARU: Two lorry drivers were sentenced to six years’ jail and two strokes of the cane for impersonating police officers to rob six foreigners.
Mohd Firdaus Abdullah, 34, and Mohd Nazri Abdul, 32, yesterday pleaded guilty to committing the offence at Taman Universiti on April 12 at about 5.30pm.
According to the facts of the case, they impersona ted police officers and robbed the six foreigners of RM395, a handphone and their pas sports.
Sessions Court judge Nu’ Aman Mahm ud Zuhudi ordered that the jail term start from the date of arrest.
Meanwhile, an unemployed man pleaded guilty in a magistrate’s court to stealing a tin of Milo.
According to the charge sheet, Md Razali Doll, 54, had stolen the chocolate powder worth RM31.99 from a supermarket ne ar Jalan Pandan at 6.4 5pm on April 19.
Magistrate Hafizah Johor Ariff Johor sentenced him to five years’ jail an d fined him RM2,000.
Hafizah said Razali had committed eight similar offenc es since 1978, hence the long jail term , although this offence was not serious.

Source: The Star - Saturday, April 23, 2011

******

Singer Loses Money And Mobile Phones To Bogus Cops

A KOTAI (stage show) singer clad only in his underpants chased after two robbers in a hotel in Johor Baru, reported Nanyang Siang Pau.
Raymond Chen You Hua, 53, claimed that the two men had robbed him of a total of RM6,337, and two mobile phones from his room on the second floor of the hotel.
He said the two men, believed to be in their 30s, had earlier cornered him in the room when he was just clad in his underpants.
Chen said that after identifying themselves as policemen, they ransacked his belongings before fleeing from the room with his money and mobile phones.
He said he then gave chase but lost them on the first floor.
He told reporters during a press conference called by the Johor MCA and Gerakan on Thursday that he was dissatisfied by the lack of action by the hotel in resolving the robbery.
He said he had lodged a complaint with the hotel after the incident in October because he believed that the men had entered his room with a hotel key as there was no sign of forced entry.

Source: The Star - Saturday, January 29, 2011

****** 

Bogus Cop Who Claimed To Be From Bukit Aman Detained 
Submitted by Adam

JOHOR BARU: Luck ran out on a bogus cop who has been collecting money by conning the public, when police arrested him last Friday, while trying to withdraw money that was banked him by his victim.
The 31-year-old, claiming to be from Bukit Aman, had duped a number of people in Kluang and collected money in the pretext of helping them.
Johor police chief Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff, said the man was detained when withdrawing RM10,000 from a bank after initially requesting RM50,000, apparently claiming that the victim was involved in a 'black money' scam.
"The bogus cop had contacted the victim and claimed that the victim was involved in a black money syndicate in Hong Kong and to settle the matter, had requested RM50,000," he told reporters at the Johor police headquarters, here today.
Mohd Mokhtar said the victim had later banked in RM10,000 into the account of the bogus cop.
The suspect, believed to have cheated four other people, was arrested while trying to withdraw the money.

Source: Malay Mail - Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Crooks In Uniform Too

Sunday August 1, 2010 - Rogue Cop And Accomplices Held

PETALING JAYA: A police constable believed to have been involved in a series of robberies since three years ago has been arrested.

The 27-year-old was arrested along with two of his accomplices at his home in Gombak on Friday, said Selangor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar.

“All the suspects are in their 20’s and have been involved in at least five gang robbery cases, with the last being two weeks ago somewhere in Gombak,” he said.

It is learnt that the constable, who had been attached to the Petaling Jaya district headquarters since two years ago, also had a disciplinary record, which included poor work attendance.
Sources also revealed that the suspect was armed when arrested.
A urine test result showed the suspect was positive for drugs.

The suspect has been remanded and the case investigated under Section 395 and 397 of the Penal Code.

******

Sunday July 18, 2010 - Feeding On Fear Of Cops

Whenever we encounter the police, we freeze and think that we have done something wrong.

Crooks who impersonate our law enforcers play on this fear.

Paul Jambunathan remembers talking on his mobile phone while crossing the road one day.
He saw a police car passing by and automatically put his phone down.
He was not committing any crime; he just thought he was.

Jambunathan, a clinical psychologist, attributes this reflex action to a case of classical conditioning.

“Most people associate the police with punishing us for doing something wrong (although we haven’t),” he says.

Billy Lim* has a similar story.
He admits to always talking on the phone while driving.

A few times, he has caught sight of someone in a fluorescent jacket similar to those used by the police, and he ended up panicking.

“Very often it turns out to be someone from the local council or even a road construction worker,” he says.

But the sight of the vest is enough to give him the chills.

Unfortunately, criminals who impersonate the police or other enforcement agencies work on this fear, says Jambunathan.

Over the years, there have been cases of people impersonating police officers, which is a crime under the Police Act.

Impostors have used the police uniform to commit robberies, extortion and even rape.

“Even when I see the words POLIS, I become nervous for no reason. It could even be someone wearing a plain T-shirt with the word POLIS on the back,” says Lim.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong agrees that the public may not be able to tell the difference between a genuine police officer and a bogus one.

“If they stop, they might get robbed but if they don’t, they might get shot,” he observes.

He says that it is easy to impersonate an enforcement agency with numerous shops selling uniforms and paraphernalia of all these enforcement agencies, including the police.

“The only thing I can’t buy is a gun. Even then, I can get a toy gun. If I stand by the roadside wearing the uniform, some people would not be able to tell the difference,” says Chong.

He adds that anyone can buy Rela (Volunteers of Malaysian People) outfits complete with their rank.
Rela officers are often called up for crime-prevention duties and they have the power to make a citizen’s arrest and hand the perpetrator over to the authorities.
They can also check identity cards and passports, and nab illegal immigrants.

The easy availability of Rela uniforms in shops and online has made it easy for crooks to impersonate its volunteers to commit crimes.

In 2006, robbers masquerading as Rela members drove off with RM47million worth of microchips from the air cargo complex in Penang.

Major Jen Datuk Abdul Aziz Ibrahim, the assistant chief of staff, Personal Services of the Royal Malaysian Armed Force (RMAF), says there have been many cases of people misusing the army uniform.

One of the main reasons is to get the attention of girls, says Abdul Aziz.

“It is impossible to stop the shops from selling the uniforms as they have valid business licences.”

Mary Chan* recalls a uniform theme party that was organised by her company.

She says that most people were dressed in army fatigues. She herself wore a police uniform she had ordered on the Internet.

“My uniform was quite plain and anyone could tell it was fake. But the army uniform of the others looked real,” she says.

Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye agrees that impersonation of police and other government security personnel is an issue of concern.

The MCPF has received some complaints of impersonations of police personnel, he acknowledges.
He says the Government should take note of the problem and check outlets that sell these uniforms and paraphernalia freely.

“This problem has existed for quite a while. The sale of these items should be tightened to prevent abuse,” he warns.

Lee says the police should educate the public on what to do when confronted by impostors.

The police have always reminded people to ask for authority cards when they are sceptical about the status of the uniformed man.
But not many people do that, unfortunately.

Emily Abdullah says she would not be able to tell the difference between an impersonator and a real police officer.
She has been stopped at police road blocks but has never asked to see their identification.

“Not that it never occurs to me but I just want to get everything over with as quickly as possible,” she says.

Jambunathan says it is the public’s right to ask for identification and they have to let go of the misconception that the police would be antagonistic if they do so.

******

Training is needed for one to become a police officer.
However, for a few hundred ringgit, it is possible for one to look like a cop.

As was reported by The Star July 18, 2010, police accessories are sold openly and police uniforms are available in some stores in and around the city. Discount can be obtained too for a few items purchased at Pertama Complex in Kuala Lumpur.



A pair of police shoulder badges can  be bought for RM37 at a uniforms wholesaler shop

Which one is real?

A police badge purchased at Pertama Complex. The fake badge is at the bottom. It is hard for the layman to tell the difference between the two badges.

 Similar badges: There is little difference between the police shoulder tag purchased at Pertama Complex (bottom) and one found on a policeman’s uniform.

The reporter purchased two police badges and a sticker for RM35 with the word POLIS in bold letters (to be stuck on the back of a jacket or vest).

When asked for a receipt, he was told to write his name and police identification number by the shopkeeper but when told that he was not a policeman, the shopkeeper looked worried and said he was not permitted to sell the items to civilians.
The reporter managed to convince the shopkeeper all the items were for personal use only.

The shop also stocked badges of other enforcement agencies such as the Prisons Department.

Road Transport Department (RTD) emblem, twin army medals and a pair of police shoulder badges can  be bought for RM37 at a uniforms wholesaler shop.

Although the shop assistants were surprised as only one of each item were bought, they did not ask any further questions after explaining the items for personal use only.

People usually bought the badges in bulk.

One can have a police integrity badge for RM11.90, handcuffs for RM28 and RM58 for the more expensive cuffs which were of higher quality and had double locks.

Unlike army and Rela uniforms, police uniforms, however, were more difficult to get compared to which are easily purchased from any uniform shop.

When asked about getting the police uniform at one shop, a letter of authority from Bukit Aman is needed for the purchase.

***All Sources: The Star