He said action was taken after police received reports made by certain individuals pertaining to various political issues.
“Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassan has entrusted me as the IGP.
“I give the assurance that PDRM (Royal Malaysia Police) is not being pressured to take action, as if to persecute any group or political party. I will not allow it,” he said.
Hamid was met by the media after a posthumous rank-awarding ceremony and handing over of the PDRM workplace disaster ex-gratia scheme and derivative benefits to the late Sergeant Safwan Mohamad Ismail at the Ulu Kinta General Operations Force Camp by Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin here today.
Prior to this, several politicians had been called by the police to have their statements taken following comments they had made.
Yesterday, former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was in Bukit Aman to give his statement over an interview with Al Jazeera while former deputy women, family and community development minister Hannah Yeoh is scheduled to meet the police on June 23 for allegedly publishing seditious and inflammatory remarks on her Facebook page.
Hamid said the call-ups of several politicians were supposed to have been done earlier but were delayed due to the implementation of the movement control order since March 18.
“The call-ups are not arrests. The SOP is to call them on the given dates while taking into consideration whether they are free. When they come, we’ll ask them several questions on the reports received.
“If after the question-and-answer session, police detect any slander, we will take action by finding the person behind it,” he said, while stressing that police officers are not allowed to use violence when recording statements.
Commenting on the arrests of 18 police and army officers and personnel for allegedly selling information to an illegal immigrant and drug smuggling syndicate in Johor, Hamid said investigations would continue to get the identities of all members of the syndicate.
He said PDRM would make use of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 to prevent those detained from being allowed bail, adding that more would be arrested.
“Those who dare (to perpetrate such offences) must bear the consequences. There will be no compromise. We are very focused in efforts to curb the entry of illegal immigrants,” he said.
Yesterday, Johor police chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay revealed that 18 police and military officers and personnel, all of them men aged 24 to 41, were detained by the state’s Criminal Investigation Department for being allegedly involved in an illegal immigrant and drug smuggling syndicate. They are alleged to have received monthly payments of RM500 to RM1,000 each.
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