Melaka State Entrepreneur Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs EXCO and Assemblyperson (ADUN) for Kesidang, Allex Seah, is calling out the dress code guidelines for police stations and hospitals following an incident that forced a woman to purchase a pair of pants in order to report an accident.
He took to his Facebook page to point out how the dress code can cause inconveniences during emergencies and to inform that he has spoken to the Melaka Police Chief about this.
He wrote, “It doesn’t make sense! Emergencies at the police station or hospital, does it really require a dress code?”
“I have already contacted the Melaka Police Chief to investigate this matter, and it is understood that this (dress code) guideline can be disregarded in emergencies. I will also bring this matter to the Melaka State Executive Council meeting this Wednesday (10 December).”
A woman who wanted to lodge a police report was turned away at Jasin IPD for wearing a skirt
This comes after a 56-year-old woman had gone to the Jasin District Police Headquarters (IPD) to file a report on an accident, but was allegedly turned away due to her wearing a skirt.
According to a report by Sin Chew Daily, the woman and her 20-year-old daughter were travelling back to Kuala Lumpur from Johor when her car was hit from behind at kilometre 174.8 of the North-South Expressway.
After being turned away from the Jasin IPD, the woman ended up going to a nearby shopping mall to purchase a pair of pants, which she wore to return to the police station to make her report.
“I begged the officer to make an exception because my car was hit on the North-South Expressway and I was there to report the incident, but the officer was unmoved and said he would be yelled at if we were allowed in,”
“The officer later told me to go to a nearby shopping mall to buy trousers, and I couldn’t refuse him, so I went to the mall to buy trousers,” she said.
The police’s statement on the matter
According to a report by Harian Metro, the Melaka Police Chief, Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar, confirmed this incident, which took place on Monday (8 December) at 5 PM.
“The 2 women involved at that time did not suffer any injuries. At 5:40 PM, the daughter returned to the IPD with her mother, dressed more modestly and was allowed to enter to file a police report,” he said.
He went on to share that the public must adhere to the dress code when at police counters, but leniency will be given in cases of emergency or those requiring quick action.
He also advised the public not to speculate about this incident and to understand the guidelines that have been put in place.
What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
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