During a surprise inspection at the Ipoh district police headquarters lock-up, authorities found drugs, mobile phones, and sharp weapons, raising concerns about security breaches within the facility [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The inspection, which began at 9:30pm on Tuesday, May 12, and ended around 3am the following day, was conducted by the Integrity and Standards Compliance Department of the Perak police contingent following a tip-off [2, 3, 4, 5].
The cell inspected contained four male detainees, including one transit detainee from Taiping [2, 3, 5]. Authorities seized about 22 packets believed to be heroin weighing 4.23 grams, along with 1.6 grams of suspected methamphetamine [2, 4]. Additional prohibited items included tobacco, cash, and communication equipment [4].
In response to the findings, several police personnel assigned to the lock-up were immediately suspended pending investigation [1, 2, 3, 5]. Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail said, "I have instructed the relevant department to carry out investigations and the officers and personnel involved have been suspended" [1].
The Narcotics Crime Investigation Department and other relevant units have joined the probe, which focuses on how the items were smuggled into the lock-up and the possible involvement of police officers [1, 2, 3, 4]. Perak police chief Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin added, "The probe also focuses on supervision and compliance with lock-up management procedures to ensure the integrity and safety of detainees are not compromised" [4].
Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail instructed all state and district police chiefs to conduct regular inspections of police lock-ups nationwide to prevent such lapses. He said, "I have issued instructions to ensure lock-up inspections are carried out from time to time to maintain the highest level of security and monitoring" and noted that "Overall, the situation is good and under control" despite this incident [2, 3, 5].
The Ipoh case sparked a Bukit Aman press conference held today on May 15 to announce a full investigation into the breach [3, 5]. Perak police are set to launch an internal investigation on May 16 to examine lock-up management procedures following the discovery [4].
