Policeman Caught Illegally Smoking at an Eatery Currently Being Investigated by PDRM

Since 1 January 2019, it has been illegal to smoke in certain prohibited areas, including restaurants and other eateries, including open-air hawker stalls in Malaysia. Under the law, violators face fines of up to RM10,000 or up to two years in jail. Restaurant owners also risk an RM5,000 fine or up to a year in prison.

According to the Health Ministry, as reported by NST, 5,766 enforcement officers are patrolling to enforce the ban. An average of 319 smokers are issued compounds each day, with more than 40% of them being caught in restaurants.

Ironically, X user @DrMasIindaSis posted an image of a police officer at an eatery (there are cups and plates in front of him) with a cigarette in his hand. Puffs of smoke can also be seen. She tagged the Polis Diraja Malaysia and the Health Ministry’s official X accounts, saying, “Hi, please comment.”

She posted it as a quote retweet in response to a tweet by the KKM Portal MyHealth, which wrote, “Restaurants are for eating, not for smoking. If you meet any stubborn people, please report it to WhatsApp at 0108608949 (the Infoline for Smoking Complaints). The statistic in the image also mentioned that 76.4% of citizens are exposed to second-hand smoke at restaurants.

She also shared more pictures and images of police officers smoking in the thread, slamming them, saying that they were smoking things which went against the teaching of Islam while breaking the law without a care.

Netizens were quick to comment on the issue, saying, “If I’m not wrong, officers in uniform can’t smoke.” Another said, “Smoking anywhere has become a taboo for some, why not just ban cigarettes, I pity underage kids who have to smell secondhand smoke at some restaurants.”

“Don’t mess around with Malaysians nowadays, there are eyes everywhere,” one laughed. “They are the King of Malaysia, can’t touch them at all”, wrote another. A netizen also called for them to be transferred, while one said, “As usual the police just accept bribes and take pay without doing proper work.

Investigations underway

Meanwhile, it has been reported that the police have launched an investigation.

Petaling Jaya police chief Shahrulnizam Ja’afar said the police were alerted to the photo and that a disciplinary investigation paper regarding the incident has been opened against the personnel to investigate any breach of the law and non-compliance with standard operating procedures.

Shahrulnizam stressed that there would be no compromise in upholding the law and that appropriate disciplinary action would be taken.