Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo has condemned the incident in which a woman and her daughter were denied entry into the Jasin district police headquarters in Melaka after a traffic accident because their attire apparently ‘violated’ the dress code.
In a statement, Gobind said the fundamental purpose of a police station was to serve the public, protect citizens, and facilitate the reporting of crimes and accidents as required by the law. He said preventing a victim from filing a report based on clothing was an abuse of authority and amounted to obstructing justice.
Gobind added that the officer on duty should have prioritised assisting the victims rather than turning them away.
“People don’t dress up in anticipation of a crime,” he said, adding that attire cannot be used as a basis to deny citizens their legal right to lodge reports.
He urged the Inspector-General of Police to issue a clear directive to all stations that no victim or complainant seeking to report an accident or crime be denied their rights based on attire. He said police had no authority to impose arbitrary or unreasonable standards that restrict public access.
Gobind said he would raise the matter with the Home Minister and push for a review of existing SOPs that may hinder access to police stations.
“We must ensure that incidents like these do not happen again,” he said.
The controversy began when a woman involved in a traffic accident attempted to lodge a report at the Jasin district police headquarters but was stopped at the entrance because her skirt did not comply with the government dress code. She and her daughter were asked to change into “more suitable clothing” before their report could be taken.
She later returned after buying a pair of trousers from a nearby mall, and was then allowed to lodge the report.
Melaka police chief DCP Dzulkhairi Mukhtar confirmed the incident and said an internal inquiry was underway. He reminded the public that dress codes applied at all complaint counters except in genuine emergencies and advised the public not to speculate.
