The clarifications afforded by the Home Minister concerning the PDRM “jolly” to Istanbul do no more than show that he and his officials either did not know, or realise, that this trip was connected to possible Totalisator fraud. Had he been made aware he would surely have queried why so many police officers needed to go there.

And, in particular, why the IGP and his deputy, who are both retiring shortly, needed to attend a seminar on a routine variety of crime. If expertise was actually needed on crime linked to the Tote it could have been obtained at virtually no cost from the Police in the UK, the home of the Tote.

This incident, petty as it is, shows that much is wrong within the PDRM, in particular that senior officers were prepared to connive at using public funds to allow themselves to have an all -expenses paid holiday funded by the taxpayer. Had this incident happened while Najib was in power it would have been taken for granted that public funds could be misused in that way. But does PH really want to be seen in that same light?

Other press reports quote the Home Minister as saying that replacements for the IG and his deputy will soon be identified. Such a process can hardly be carried out while so many doubts exist about the whole cadre of senior PDRM officers and their conduct while BN was in power. To appoint any one of them as IGP would be to accept that there is no need for reform of and far-reaching enquiry into the PDRM as a whole.

If such enquiries cannot be completed before May (when the existing office holders leave) it would be better to appoint an interim chief drawn, if necessary, from outside the force.

The Istanbul incident, and the apparent withholding of relevant information from the Minister, shows that the Force is not under control and is not being led as it should be by the current management. That is a cause for serious alarm. What next is a legitimate question and PH need to ask it of themselves.