Ang pow cops transferred

Star | Four policemen from the Gemas police station have been transferred out after a colleague lodged a report alleging that they received “ang pow” running into thousands of ringgit every month from those involved in illegal activities.

State police chief Datuk Osman Salleh said more policemen would be transferred out once investigations were completed.

“We have yet to conclude investigations but we expect more to be transferred out from there,” he said when met yesterday.

Last Friday, the policeman, a corporal in his early 40s, lodged a report that his colleagues were accepting “protection” money from those involved in illegal activities.

The policeman was apparently unhappy with the officer-in-charge (OCS) at the station, an inspector and a sergeant at the station because they were allegedly taking the lion’s share of the “ang pow” while the other rank-and-file officers received very little.

The sergeant, in retaliation, lodged a report against the corporal alleging that the latter had sold some items belonging to the station to scrap dealers.

It is understood that the corporal had disposed of some of the station’s old wooden and iron furniture to the dealer.

Osman said the corporal was apparently unhappy because he had received his transfer orders prior to the incident.

“He had been working in Gemas for some time and did not want to leave. It was then that he decided to lodge a report against his colleagues,” he said.

Osman said the allegations against the OCS was also questionable, as he had been stationed there for less than six months.

However, Osman said the transfer of the four did not mean they were guilty.

“This is a normal procedure. We will take action if there is hard evidence to suggest that they had been on the take,” he said.

It is understood that the Anti-Corruption Agency has also started a probe into the matter.