Investigation Into Sosilawati's Murder Not Racially Motivated - IGP

BANTING, Sept 16 (Bernama) -- Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Ismail Omar said the investigation into the murder of cosmetics queen Sosilawati Lawiya and three others was not racially motivated.

"This case is like any other criminal case as there are the criminals and the victims," he said at a dialogue with local community leaders at the Kuala Langat district police headquarters, here, today in conjunction with his visit to Selangor as the new IGP.

Ismail also said that investigations into cases which had racial elements like the arson on churches in Selangor and surau in Johor were carried out based on the law.

However, he said, the public should understand that the process of prosecution came under the jurisdiction of the Attorney-General and not the police.

Ismail said this after one of the community leaders present questioned why cases involving the throwing of paint and liquor bottles at surau were not brought to court unlike cases involving the torching of churches.

On another note, the IGP said he had ordered Selangor police including in the Kuala Langat district to monitor the rising involvement of the local youths in crime.

He said he would also look into the need to increase manpower and logistical support for the district police headquarters and to place an Assistant Commissioner of Police to head the police there instead of a Superintendent like now.

The matter was raised by Kuala Langat MCA division chief Datuk Eii Kim Hock who said the dictrict police needed to be beefed up due to rapid development in Kuala Langat, which is surrounded by such areas as Putrajaya and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, besides having a long coastline.

Eii said the Kuala Langat district now had a population of about 200,000 and hoped that more police cars would patrol the area so that the people there would feel safer with increased police presence.

While he thanked police for taking action against illegal gambling activities in the district, Eii also praised their swift investigation into the murder of Sosilawati and three others although the Raya celebration was on.

Ismail, meanwhile, said police managed to reduce the crime rate in the district by 14 per cent between January and August this year.