When I took over as the Chief of Police for the Shah Alam district in 2018, never did I imagine that I would have to lead the precinct to face a pandemic such as this. I was first tasked with crisis management and was stationed at the Subang Airport. Naturally, my family members were worried for my health and safety, but I made sure I adhered to all the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and sanitised myself adequately.

I am also incredibly proud of my team who sprang into action quickly and effectively in enforcing the necessary SOPs as well as other lockdown measures. We had to ensure we got everything right as all eyes were on the police at the time, especially during roadblocks and premise inspections. In Shah Alam, we did not have any critical issues thanks to widespread compliance by its citizens.

Nevertheless, there were social problems such as food shortages by those who couldn’t afford food due to the pandemic. Their stories were shared all over social media and thanks to kind Malaysians, they got the help they needed. A big thank you to our corporate friends at Shah Alam who donated food and money to us when it mattered.

In my opinion, we are doing the very best we can within our capacity to help stem the pandemic. But this is a fight that involves us all – not just the frontliners. I understand that some of us are fatigued by the continuous lockdowns, but we cannot afford to slip up. Everyone needs to cooperate and play their role to avoid higher infection rates. The police force is ever willing to serve the people to this end.

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