Also another news taken from The Star online.
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Policemen in daily fight against crime and high cost of living
THEY shoulder a heavy load but they are allegedly getting paid pittance for their job. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said the men and women of the police force are providing cheap labour for the public. LOURDES CHARLES, FARIK ZOLKEPLI and RASHITHA A. HAMID look at their plight.
A POLICEWOMAN at the Brickfields police station in Kuala Lumpur laments that she is always haunted by the thought that she may not return home alive to see her children.
A constable in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, said that there were times when he had to borrow from friends to buy essential items such as milk powder and diapers and to pay the family's medical bills.
A young traffic policeman in Kulai, Johor, who is a diploma holder, said with a salary of RM1,066, he had to pay off his study loan and that of his wife as well as the tuition fees of his three younger brothers.
There are thousands in the police force like them, with a myriad of personal problems to deal with while tackling the massive woes connected to crime prevention, public order and traffic.
They do not expect thanks from the public, who are more accustom to accusations of bad people relation, alleged corruption and alleged misuse of authority.
What they expect is a better deal that is consistent with the responsibility they have to shoulder. They want better wages.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said for all the flak that they got and all the risks that they faced, his men and women of the police force were not getting the wages they deserved. He said it was akin to providing cheap labour.
For instance, can a single mother be expected to survive and raise a family with RM1,200 when every day she is putting her life on the line to protect others?
Lans Kpl I. Cecilia, 41, a detective at the Brickfields police station and a mother of three, said she had been trying to make ends meet since she joined the force in 1988.
“Every month, I have to pay for my car, my house and daily expenses.
“Renting a house in the city is not cheap and the standard of living here is so high that I have a major headache trying to make sure my money lasts the whole month.”
“The increase in the price of oil has affected almost everything else. I can hardly save money for my kid’s and my future.
“I have three school-going children. The monthly cost involved in raising each child is at least RM200, as I need to buy them books, pay for their tuition and cater to their daily expenses. How can I do so on a salary of only RM1,200?”
Cecilia, who has to work round the clock sometimes, said her worst nightmare was if something were to happen to her family when she was not at home.
Constable Mohd Firus Rosli, 24, a father of two, said his take-home pay of RM900 was barely enough to support his family and a younger brother who had just entered university.
The policeman at the Sungai Buloh police station said he had to take a RM7,000 bank loan to help his brother get into campus.
“There were times when I had to borrow from friends to make ends meet,” he said, adding that much of his wages went to buying milk powder, diapers and medicine for his two kids, aged three and one.
Firus, whose father was also a policeman, said his wife, who used to work at a nearby factory, had to resign to take care of their children because they could not afford a childminder.
He said he sometimes felt sad hearing public criticisms against the force.
“We have a job to do and I intend to do what is required of me. I just pray and hope that the Government will accept the proposal by our IGP for a salary review,” added the young constable who joined the force in 2004.
Lans Kpl Sius @ Albasius said life was a struggle in a state that was considered one of the most expensive places to live in Malaysia.
“My present salary and the various allowances thrown in can barely cover my monthly expenses, including paying off study loans for myself and my wife and the tuition fees of my three brothers,” said the 29-year old policeman who holds a diploma in Management Technology in Accountancy from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
His wife has yet to find a job, and so his monthly police allowances of about RM500 goes to food and other necessities.
“Being the eldest of four siblings, I have to pay for their school fees. One of them is studying at a farming institute in Lahad Datu, Sabah.”
He was looking forward to a salary increase, which, he said, would inspire the workforce to work harder.
“The present salary is not enough if one takes into account the risk policemen take everyday,” he said, disclosing that he was only earning RM1,066 a month.
“My role model is my father who is a retired policeman. I watched him since I was a child and always wanted to emulate him.
“My dream job was becoming a policeman and now that I have achieved it I hope to give my best,'' he said, adding that he cherishes his job.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Policemen in daily fight against crime and high cost of living
THEY shoulder a heavy load but they are allegedly getting paid pittance for their job. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said the men and women of the police force are providing cheap labour for the public. LOURDES CHARLES, FARIK ZOLKEPLI and RASHITHA A. HAMID look at their plight.
A POLICEWOMAN at the Brickfields police station in Kuala Lumpur laments that she is always haunted by the thought that she may not return home alive to see her children.
A constable in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, said that there were times when he had to borrow from friends to buy essential items such as milk powder and diapers and to pay the family's medical bills.
A young traffic policeman in Kulai, Johor, who is a diploma holder, said with a salary of RM1,066, he had to pay off his study loan and that of his wife as well as the tuition fees of his three younger brothers.
There are thousands in the police force like them, with a myriad of personal problems to deal with while tackling the massive woes connected to crime prevention, public order and traffic.
They do not expect thanks from the public, who are more accustom to accusations of bad people relation, alleged corruption and alleged misuse of authority.
What they expect is a better deal that is consistent with the responsibility they have to shoulder. They want better wages.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said for all the flak that they got and all the risks that they faced, his men and women of the police force were not getting the wages they deserved. He said it was akin to providing cheap labour.
For instance, can a single mother be expected to survive and raise a family with RM1,200 when every day she is putting her life on the line to protect others?
Lans Kpl I. Cecilia, 41, a detective at the Brickfields police station and a mother of three, said she had been trying to make ends meet since she joined the force in 1988.
“Every month, I have to pay for my car, my house and daily expenses.
“Renting a house in the city is not cheap and the standard of living here is so high that I have a major headache trying to make sure my money lasts the whole month.”
“The increase in the price of oil has affected almost everything else. I can hardly save money for my kid’s and my future.
“I have three school-going children. The monthly cost involved in raising each child is at least RM200, as I need to buy them books, pay for their tuition and cater to their daily expenses. How can I do so on a salary of only RM1,200?”
Cecilia, who has to work round the clock sometimes, said her worst nightmare was if something were to happen to her family when she was not at home.
Constable Mohd Firus Rosli, 24, a father of two, said his take-home pay of RM900 was barely enough to support his family and a younger brother who had just entered university.
The policeman at the Sungai Buloh police station said he had to take a RM7,000 bank loan to help his brother get into campus.
“There were times when I had to borrow from friends to make ends meet,” he said, adding that much of his wages went to buying milk powder, diapers and medicine for his two kids, aged three and one.
Firus, whose father was also a policeman, said his wife, who used to work at a nearby factory, had to resign to take care of their children because they could not afford a childminder.
He said he sometimes felt sad hearing public criticisms against the force.
“We have a job to do and I intend to do what is required of me. I just pray and hope that the Government will accept the proposal by our IGP for a salary review,” added the young constable who joined the force in 2004.
Lans Kpl Sius @ Albasius said life was a struggle in a state that was considered one of the most expensive places to live in Malaysia.
“My present salary and the various allowances thrown in can barely cover my monthly expenses, including paying off study loans for myself and my wife and the tuition fees of my three brothers,” said the 29-year old policeman who holds a diploma in Management Technology in Accountancy from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
His wife has yet to find a job, and so his monthly police allowances of about RM500 goes to food and other necessities.
“Being the eldest of four siblings, I have to pay for their school fees. One of them is studying at a farming institute in Lahad Datu, Sabah.”
He was looking forward to a salary increase, which, he said, would inspire the workforce to work harder.
“The present salary is not enough if one takes into account the risk policemen take everyday,” he said, disclosing that he was only earning RM1,066 a month.
“My role model is my father who is a retired policeman. I watched him since I was a child and always wanted to emulate him.
“My dream job was becoming a policeman and now that I have achieved it I hope to give my best,'' he said, adding that he cherishes his job.
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