Several policemen told FMT of their challenges in carrying out their administrative tasks including handling police reports.

One officer at a police station here said the breakdown in the police reporting system was “rather frequent” to the point it’s been given the nickname “System Down 1Malaysia”.

Whenever the system crashed, members of the public making reports would be asked to return at another time, sometimes hours later.

Going to a different police station would not make a difference, as the reporting system is a centralised one.

“We can’t take written reports because the report number is generated by a central system and this report needs to be signed in person. Every time this happens, we have to turn people away. Sometimes people come to report urgent incidents like accidents.”

The officer said it was “pointless” to raise the issue with their superiors.

“I hope our MPs can raise this in Parliament so that we can get the budget to fix it.”

On social media, many users have also been sharing that their attempts to lodge police reports have been unsuccessful due to the breakdown in the reporting system.

Another officer from a different station in Selangor said their jobs were complicated by a lack of office supplies.

“I bought the printer for this station using my own money.”

This is not the first time the issue has cropped up. In August, Singapore’s Straits Times reported that low-ranking officers were buying reams of A4 papers and printer ink cartridges using their own money to do their work.

A high level official who declined to be named confirmed that the police force was facing challenges. “Think of it this way, the cars are increasing but there’s not enough budget to widen the road. That’s the problem.”

FMT is seeking comment from the police force.