The wrongful killing of George Floyd by a white police officer and abetted by three other officers from the Minneapolis Police Department in Minnesota late in May this year sparked protests and unrest not only in America but in many other parts of the world regarding police brutality and social injustice.

Malaysia has witnessed and experienced similar tragedies although the number of cases is not comparable to the atrocities committed by American police. Police brutality is not a complex social phenomenon. It can be contained and eliminated ideally.

The questions that need to be addressed are twofold. Firstly, what are the factors that are correlated directly with the use of brutality among police officers? Secondly, is police brutality both directly and indirectly related to racism and institutionalised factors?

Let me attempt to explain methodologically the first question regarding the prevalence of police brutality (both excessive use of deadly and non-deadly force) amongst police officers worldwide. It can be attributed to four major contributing factors.

First, the personality of the individual police officers. Some characters and personalities are simply undesirable to be employed as police officers.

They must be identified and eliminated as applicants via comprehensive personality and characteristic assessments and background checks. Sophisticated scientific personality assessments will eliminate those likely to be deviant, aggressive and corrupt. The next phase of elimination can be implemented during training which is between six to nine months.

Even after training, zero tolerance should be given to officers who are on probation prior to confirmation so that they can be terminated. The same must also apply to those officers who are eventually confirmed in their positions.

Secondly, the situational activities of day-to-day policing can also be correlated with police brutality. If the training framework and module of the police department have not moulded professional officers with a high level of integrity, then the probability of the use of excessive physical force and/or deadly force is more probable when dealing with volatile situations.

In a matter of seconds in any volatile situation between police and public, many things can go wrong and it can turn deadly in the worst scenario especially if the officer is poorly trained. Thus, police training modules and framework must be regularly assessed and evaluated by independent experts to ensure compatibility with contemporary needs of the profession and society.

Thirdly, organisational factors also contribute significantly to the cautious and necessary use of physical and deadly force or it can indirectly encourage abuse. The department must not tolerate any form of such actions.

All cases must be thoroughly investigated and criminal charges must be brought against rogue officers. To be deemed and viewed as a professional department, a police department must always ensure transparency and that it is free from bias, prejudice and discrimination.

Fourthly, the leadership of the department must be exemplary. Police leaders must be held accountable especially if the issue of police brutality is prevalent amongst its officers.

They must constantly monitor officers that are deviant and take the necessary disciplinary action against those aggressive officers and if necessary work with the prosecutor’s office to ensure criminal charges and successful conviction against them.

Finally, to answer the second question related to racism, social injustice and inequality and their relationship to police brutality. There are many compounding factors related to these issues.

Law, social, economic, health and education policies can significantly contribute to resolving issues related to police brutality and racism.

In reality, the moral consciousness of government and society must be awakened to address police brutality and other forms of police misconduct. Floyd’s death has created social protest and unrest in various parts of the world.

Victims of police brutality are not children of a lesser God. I have great hope and trust in our police force that no stones will be left unturned while addressing police brutality in our nation.

DATUK DR. P. SUNDRAMOORTHY
UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA

This article first appeared on New Straits Times.