IPOH, MALAYSIA: Police mobile patrol vehicles may soon be fitted with closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to aid in crime busting and to curb bribery, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan.

The idea, he said, was to have the 3,000-plus police patrol vehicles linked in stages to the control centres at Bukit Aman and state contingents.

Personnel manning the control centres would be able to view the footage live and keep track of every movement and action of the mobile patrol personnel, he told reporters after closing a course on mobile police practices at the General Operations Force training centre in Ulu Kinta near here yesterday.

Musa said the project was still in the planning stage and a proposal had been sent to the Home Ministry and Economic Planning Unit for feedback.

He added that several police vehicles in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor had been fitted with CCTV devices for test runs.

Earlier, in his speech, Musa said the public had lodged complaints of mobile patrol personnel slacking when on duty, projecting a negative image of the force.

"Once implemented, the in-car CCTV devices would prevent bribery and all kinds of abuse," he said.

"Whatever action the mobile patrol personnel take must be in front of the cameras. This is to ensure they give good service. This is the modern world now where we can monitor everything electronically."

Musa said the cameras would also allow two or three patrol vehicles responding to a crime scene to capture the incident from different angles.

However, he added that the police still needed an integrated information communications system for the patrol units and police headquarters to work together.

On the course, Musa said it was essential that police personnel be taught how to respond professionally at a crime scene.

Previously, experienced personnel would train the new ones on the job, but now they can learn via the course, which would be held four times a year, he said.

On five-year-old Sharlinie Mohd Nashar, who has been missing since she was abducted on Jan 9, Musa said the police had not given up the search for her.

"We are working closely with our neighbours to ascertain whether there are any individuals or groups preying on children," he said.

"We are also checking our own database of people who have been convicted of child abuse. We are trying to establish their modus operandi."

On the three siblings found dead with their mother in a car at an oil palm estate in Kota Tinggi on Sunday, Musa said he had been informed that the deaths were suicide.

"However we are still investigating and have not yet ruled out foul play," he added.