SHAH ALAM: Policemen must assess the situation before opening fire, especially in confined spaces where several people are present.
Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar said that while standard operating procedures (SOPs) guided police actions, the final decision rested with personnel at the scene, who had to consider the circumstances and assess any immediate threat.
He was responding to questions about the attack on Lance Corporal Thierry Rodger Pendy, 26, whose right hand was severed by a parang-wielding foreigner during an operation at an apartment in Kepong on Wednesday.
Shazeli said the premises were cramped and personnel from several agencies were present, making it difficult to carry out certain actions.
“This made it difficult to carry out certain actions that would otherwise have been appropriate,” he told a press conference at the Selangor police contingent headquarters today.
He said SOPs could not account for every possible situation, and personnel had to decide on the appropriate response based on the circumstances and their training.
Asked whether the incident highlighted the need for additional training, Shazeli said police personnel underwent annual refresher courses and in-service training covering different scenarios.
“We do not wait for an incident like this to happen before conducting training. Different scenarios and situations are incorporated into these courses to prepare our personnel,” he said.
He said investigations into the Kepong incident were continuing.
The injured policeman, who underwent surgery to reattach his severed wrist at Kuala Lumpur Hospital, was in stable condition and recovering.
It was reported that the foreign man who severed the policeman’s hand in an attack at an apartment in Desa Amanpuri, Kepong, on Wednesday evening, died after being shot by police during an attempted arrest.
The shots injured the man, and police tried to take him to hospital for treatment.
However, he was pronounced dead upon arrival at Selayang Hospital.
The 26-year-old lance corporal was in stable condition and undergoing surgery at Kuala Lumpur Hospital.