This follows a report that a woman was barred from entering a police station in Kajang as she was said to be wearing shorts that allegedly did not cover her knees.

In a letter sent to Anwar, Mengkibol assemblyman Chew Chong Sin said the cops’ action went against Section 107(4) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The section states that an officer is “duty bound” to receive any information or report related to any offence committed in Malaysia.

Chew also claimed there were cases of relatives being barred from attending to urgent matters in hospitals because of their attire.

“There should be an exemption for emergencies and important cases, such as those in police stations and hospitals,” he said, adding that officers on duty should practise greater discretion and empathy.

“We hope that you can consider this request to make things easier for the people,” he told Anwar.

Last week, a woman claimed she was refused entry into the Kajang district police headquarters to lodge a police report following a car accident because she was wearing shorts. She claimed she was wearing Bermudas that covered her knees.

She was only allowed to enter the police station after her sister brought her a pair of long pants.

Kajang police later confirmed that she was denied entry into the police station because her attire did not comply with their dress code.

The incident led to brickbats from various quarters. Former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan said police should not stop anyone from lodging a report just because of the complainant’s choice of attire.

Meanwhile, Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said all heads of departments have the discretion to determine the dress code for government offices.