Guan Eng: SB, stop spying - fight crime instead

The Special Branch (SB) should be redeployed to tackle crime instead of spying or harassing Pakatan Rakyat leaders, said DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng.

He pointed out that based on the force's budget this year, the police's intelligence unit had produced 382,000 reports on Malaysian's political activities and 351,000 security clearance checks in 2012.

"If SB can be redeployed to produce the more than 700,000 reports on crime and criminals instead of PR leaders , that would be a proper use of the rakyat's funds.

"(It would) also increase public confidence that the police serve the public interest and not the political interests of Umno or BN," he said in a press statement yesterday.

He said the Home Ministry should only employ police officers for "the sole purpose of fighting crime".

Lim, who is also the Bagan MP, added that if Pakatan Rakyat were to come to power, it would ensure that the SB's function would be to collect intelligence on criminals and terrorists, and not as a weapon against opposition leaders.

He also argued that there should be an independent assessment of crime statistics, instead of relying of figures they compiled themselves or by the federal government.

"Despite Home Minister (Hishamuddin Hussein) claiming success in reducing the crime index, cases of kidnappings, assaults and robberies in public areas and in broad daylight have continued unabated," said the Penang chief minister.