It’s 2020 and the subject of police brutality has finally made its way to our shores. Of course, there are organisations that have been addressing the issue for a while now but in light of the aftermath that came from the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, the topic is (somewhat) back in the forefront of people’s minds.

That being said, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador has announced that the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) is considering equipping its officers with taser guns in a bid to reduce the necessity of using firearms, especially when it comes to dealing with aggressive or amuk people.

Speaking to Bernama at Bukit Aman, Abdul Hamid said “PDRM does not want to shoot anyone, and wants to resolve issues without loss of life, such as when dealing with persons under the influence of drugs who will be aggressive, so we want to only use taser guns to resolve these cases.

“Although the use of taser guns have been introduced before this, not many were provided to police staff, and most were of poor quality,” he said, before using the taser guns used in the US as an example of durable taser guns that the Malaysian Police Force is considering to get.

On top of that, he also gave an update on the status of police body cams. According to him, the PDRM are in the process of acquiring the devices for cops on patrol duty, with those in city areas set to be given priority. On top of that, he added that police patrol cars will also soon be equipped with cameras.

The move, which was actually approved by the previous government, will bring more accountability to law enforcement officials in the country. Taking into account the growing noise against how suspects are treated while in police custody, the announcement couldn’t have come soon enough.