Police Warned Against Wearing Their Uniforms While Singing And Dancing On TikTok
"The uniform is the pride of the institution and its integrity should be upheld by the force."
By May Vin Ang — 24 Aug 2020, 01:28 PM
Members of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) have been cautioned once again against wearing their uniforms for entertainment purposes on social media
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador took to Facebook over the weekend to sternly remind his personnel to stop using their uniform to draw public attention and views on social media applications, especially TikTok.
"I would like to warn once more that it is disrespectful for any officer or member of the uniformed police to be involved in dancing or any other performances while on TikTok or other social media applications," he wrote.
The police chief of Malaysia said that these inconsiderate actions could ruin the image of PDRM and warned against any future uploads from the police force purely for amusement
Abdul Hamid said any officer who would like to perform in their uniform will now have to seek permission from the PDRM administration for staged shows and public viewings, but not for personal purposes.
He said that he would be paying more attention to this issue after several videos of police officers dancing in police stations while in their uniforms went viral on TikTok.
Bukit Aman Integrity and Standard Compliance Department (JIPS) director Datuk Zamri Yahya has also warned that disciplinary action will be taken against officers who misuse social media
In an interview with Utusan Malaysia, Zamri reiterated that officers should stop uploading videos of themselves singing and dancing while in uniform on all social platforms, including YouTube and WhatsApp.
"This issue has to be stopped immediately because this behaviour will draw criticism and does not reflect well on the image of the police force," he said.
"The uniform is the pride of the institution and its integrity should be upheld by the force."
Netizens generally agreed that the police should not be performing in their uniforms for social media
IGP Abdul Hamid's post has been shared more than 2,800 times and garnered over 500 comments from people debating the issue.
"I agree. The police shouldn't be playing TikTok while they are on duty or in uniform. They can do it when they are not. The public may say that the police are unprofessional if they do," said a Facebook user.
While another netizen asked, "For awareness, sir, does this rule apply for other uniformed bodies such as the army, bomba, and others? I often see TikTok videos of them too."
This netizen, however, did not agree. They said, "The members of the police force are also human. They need some sort of humour in life to release stress and escape from tension in the workplace."
In their opinion, witnessing the police on TikTok in their uniforms creates a positive impression among the public and enforces the belief that 'there is no divide between the police and the people'.
