Speaking to FMT, Mohd Arshad Raji said the loss of even a single shotgun was serious and the loss of so many reflected poorly on the management of the weapons.
According to media reports, police have since recovered 11 weapons and detained 14 individuals.
The incident also prompted the government to set up a special task force to implement a number of immediate measures to improve the management of Rela firearms.
But Arshad said more had to be done than just reviewing procedures.
“Some serious soul searching into the recruitment of Rela personnel needs to be done. How are these Rela personnel vetted before they are recruited?
“There is now a serious need to review the recruitment terms. Another question to be asked is whether we really need the thousands of Rela personnel?”
In May last year, it was reported that the paramilitary civil volunteer corps had 3.8 million members nationwide.
Arshad said he hoped the recruitment of Rela personnel had nothing to do with politics.
Previously, security expert Khen Han Ming had called on all law enforcement authorities to review procedures governing the safekeeping and assigning of firearms.
Khen, the principal consultant at JK Associates, said a crucial aspect of the review should be a fresh look at the deployment of armoury officers.
“The authorities must review existing gaps in policies and procedures which are obsolete and increase the frequency of armoury inspections and address discrepancies.”
He also said one could not discount the possibility of missing firearms being used in crime or acts of terrorism.