Lim said the issue cannot be dealt with internally by the Police Force Commission, and that it was no longer an internal matter, especially with claims that a former inspector-general of police (IGP) was also on the payroll of the cartel.

IGP Abdul Hamid Bador is a member of the police commission, while home minister Hamzah Zainudin is chairman.

“Only an RCI can clean up the police force from such corrupt elements and salvage the reputation of the majority of police officers and personnel not involved in such nefarious activities,” he said.

He added that there will also be public distrust and a loss of confidence in the police force to combat crime if an RCI was not established.

Lim, who is also Bagan MP, said that establishing an RCI will be the ultimate test of the Perikatan Nasional-led government’s commitment to fighting corruption and crime.

“Otherwise, this government is not serious about combating corruption and crime, like the saying ‘harapkan pagar, pagar makan padi’.”

Recently, Hamid was reported to have revealed that there was a group of younger police officers who had formed a cartel to dominate the force and topple him.

According to Hamid, the cartel ensured their collaborators were offered promotions so they could dominate the force and the police hierarchy, which made it easier for them to carry out their “dirty work”.

Meanwhile, Lim’s party colleague, lawyer and Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, said in view of the serious allegations made, the IGP should ensure reports were lodged over the alleged cartel in the force.

“To my mind, internal investigations alone will not be sufficient to deal with this problem,” he said in a statement, adding that “police officers, no matter how high their rank, are not above the law”.