The memorandum, handed to Bukit Aman representative S Vishvamalar by Suara Rakyat Malaysia executive director Azura Nasron, contained calls for urgent reforms, including tighter oversight of arrests, investigations, raids and the use of force.
In the memorandum, the coalition of civil rights groups said these cases “cannot be viewed as isolated cases, as they instead reveal a recurring and systemic pattern of failure”.
They said these cases also showed a weak enforcement of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and the aggressive handling of peaceful assemblies, which they added continued to be treated as “security threats rather than a constitutional right”.
They likewise raised concerns over years-long investigations, police statements which they claimed were defensive or inconsistent, and a “deeply alarming” rise in custodial deaths.
Last week, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said 42 cases of death in custody were recorded in 2025: eight deaths in prison, 22 while being detained by police and 12 in police lock-ups. He said investigations found that the deaths stemmed from health factors including heart attacks, strokes and complications from chronic illnesses.
Saifuddin said custodial deaths were only referred to the Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC) if they involved “issues of conduct”.
Azura previously took issue with the apparent lack of immediate notification to the IPCC of all custodial deaths, as mandated under Section 26 of the IPCC Act, and of comprehensive published data for all such deaths.
In a press conference today, Azura said the memorandum centred on two key demands, the first being a comprehensive reform of police SOPs, which are largely classified under the Official Secrets Act.
“These SOPs must be clear and binding. Police cannot act arbitrarily, whether in making arrests, seizing property or using force, simply because they are in uniform,” she said.
Azura said the second demand was for greater public transparency and police accountability to Parliament via the release of data on arrests, use of force, custodial deaths and cases under security laws.
Mandiri programme officer Wong Kueng Hui said the memorandum was not meant to provoke the police, but to challenge a system that enabled violence and the abuse of power.
He cited cases of alleged police brutality during peaceful assemblies, including incidents that went viral on social media but had yet to result in disciplinary action.
Wong said Sekretariat Himpun was launching a petition to pressure MPs to debate police misconduct in Parliament, adding that reform efforts should not end with the memorandum’s submission.