REASSIGNMENT OF POLICE PERSONNEL ENAHNCES PUBLIC CONFIDENCE - PM NAJIB

PETALING JAYA (Malaysia), June 3 (Bernama) -- The move to reassign
desk-bound police personnel to the operations division has enhanced confidence among the public on their safety, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said.

He said feedback from the public showed that they felt safer with the
presence
of policemen in their midst, especially in hot spot areas.

The initiative, involving some 7,400 police personnel nationwide, started in
January.

Under the initiative, 4,279 staff of several ministries were transferred to
police headquarters nationwide to carry out administrative duties in place of
those who were reassigned to field duties, he told reporters after a walkabout
at Sea Park, here Wednesday.

"The process did not involve additional cost or intake of new personnel. By
reassigning them, they are able to carry out their core business, which is to
conduct patrols, fight crimes and maintain security," he said.

The prime minister also said that since the government introduced the
National Key Results Area (NKRA), the crime index had gone down -- by 15.1 per
cent during the first three months from the same period last year.

Street crimes showed a significant reduction of 39.6 per cent during the
periods, he said.

Najib said he was confident that the target of reducing street crimes by 20
per cent this year was achievable.

"This is something which we can be proud of."

The enhanced presence of policemen had brought about a huge impact to the
people's daily lives, he added. "I can see that people are becoming more
confident... they feel safe and confident."

He said there were 218 police personnel in Sea Park alone compared to only
137 prior to the reassignment.

-- BERNAMA