Plans for more quarters for Sipitang cops
Published on: Friday, May 08, 2015
Sipitang: The Sabah police contingent is looking into ways to increase the number of living quarters and barracks for police officers and personnel serving in Sipitang.Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman said the Sipitang police district is facing a shortage of living quarters and barracks."Sipitang is undergoing development with a growing number of companies investing in the district, especially in the oil and gas industry.
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"However, despite the development, the police officers and personnel here are facing a shortage of accommodation," he said. He said this after witnessing the handing over of duties from outgoing Sipitang acting OCPD Haris Ibrahim to DSP Ag Arsad Ag Bakar. "Because of the shortage of barracks, police personnel in the district have to resort to renting premises, the rental of which is very expensive and can be as high as RM2,000 to RM3,000. "Previously, it used to be only RM400 to RM500 but the developers are taking advantage of the development in the district," he added.
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He also disclosed that the new Sipitang police district headquarters building would be completed by the end of this year. "When the new building is completed, we will convert the old building into quarters and barracks for the officers and personnel," he said, adding that the existing barracks are undergoing renovation.
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According to him, both the Federal and State Public Works Departments (JKR) were assessing the budget needed for the renovation and conversion of the old headquarters into barracks."The funds are there but at the moment, it is not enough. That is why JKR is reassessing the cost of the project," he added. On another issue, Jalaluddin said the police force was still facing a shortage of personnel not just in Sabah but throughout the nation."I cannot give a guarantee that more personnel can be transferred here because yearly, around 2,500 personnel retire and the number of new personnel trained each year is limited to around 4,500."We can't just bring in new recruits to a new area because they need experience first. So, for now, these are the personnel we have," he said, responding to a question posed by a reporter on increasing the number of personnel in Sipitang.He added that despite the notice issued by the Public Service Department (PSD) on April 22 freezing all recruitment into government departments and agencies, the police force was not affected."The police have its own recruitment warrant and the process of recruitment is an ongoing process as we have to recruit officers and personnel each year.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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