He said the backlog, which led to promotions being delayed and affected training opportunities for some, were cleared after more legal officers were assigned to the Police Force Commission, which he chairs.

“From Dec 5, 2022 until now, there are no more pending disciplinary cases,” he said, referring to the date he took office.

“There were officers who had already retired but were still under disciplinary review, which meant they missed out on promotion, being able to attend training, or progress in their careers. This was a punishment in itself, lasting for six to seven years.”

Saifuddin attributed the backlog due to a shortage of legal officers to review the cases.

He was responding to a supplementary question by Ghani Ahmad (PN-Jerlun) who wanted to know how the government was planning to ensure any probe into police misconduct was carried out efficiently.

Ghani also called for the Inspector-General of Police Standing Orders or IGSO to be reviewed in terms of the handling of complaints and enforcement of disciplinary action.

Saifuddin replied that the current police disciplinary system under the IGSO was sufficient.

He said all ongoing cases under the police’s integrity and standards compliance department (JIPS) were moving smoothly.

“The system we have in place is adequate to prevent delays in disciplinary decisions.”