Police Volunteer Reserve Corp (Malaysia)

The Police Volunteer Reserve (PVR) (Malay: Sukarelawan Polis) is a special police as well as a supporting unit of the full-time Royal Malaysian Police force where normal citizens could volunteer to help to maintain peace and security of their respective formation.^[1] The PVR is mainly composed of professionals such as the lawyers, teachers, doctors, businessmen, and senior government officers. Under the National Blue Ocean Strategies, PVR is targeted to have 50,000 members from all sectors in 2017.^[2]

A volunteer reserve police officer when performing police duties shall have the same powers and duties and the same protection and immunities and shall be subject to the same authority and discipline as a police officer of corresponding rank.^[3] This means PVR have identical powers to their regular (full-time) colleagues including to carry and use of firearm, search and arrest while on duty.

History

The PVR during the guard the Danga Bay.

The PVR is created as a formation under the police authorities since the year 1957 which is known as Special Operations Volunteer Force. Currently, the membership is amounted to as many as 3,400 officers from other states with major town focus. The philosophy of the PVR existence is to give opportunity to civilians to transform themselves into the police careers. The PVR members perform the same kind of duties as regular police officers, to enforcing the law and maintaining peace and security.

Qualification of PVR

The volunteer police applicants is expected to pass the same requirement like those who applying for a regular police position except that the age requirement is 18 to 45 years old. The volunteer need to be a full-time employee of any established organisation, preferably from the government sector. The volunteers need to get clearance from their employers before they decide to volunteer. Malaysian citizen qualified are invited to be Police Volunteer Reserve Corp in Police Volunteer Reserve Corp in other states of Malaysia. Those interested can obtain application forms were being anywhere District Police Volunteer Reserve Corp or in Contingent Police Volunteer Reserve Corp or could be downloaded from Royal Malaysia Police website .

Training

Standard police training will be conducted for 6 month at the contingent HQ or one week at nearby police academy (PULAPOL) and latter training at their respected district police HQ. A local training will be conducted regularly in their formation throughout their service. When undergoing continuous training of Police Volunteers is entitled to receive salary and allowances based on as an officer of equivalent rank.

Organisations of PVR

Volunteer Police Commandant appointed in each contingent is responsible to the State Police Chief for the following: -

General advice on all matters on recruitment, appointment, promotion, discipline and Police Volunteer welfare;
Supervision of training and general administration of Volunteers Police.

District Police Volunteers are usually commanded by Volunteers Gazetted Officer which is Volunteer Assistant Superintendent of Police while police station volunteer is commanded by a volunteer Inspector called as Chief of the District Police Volunteer / Chief of Station Police Volunteers respectively. Volunteers are under the supervision of the District Police Chief where they are stationed.

Members of the PVR when on duty shall be deemed to junior in the ranks of their regular counterparts. As example: (Volunteer Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP) deemed lower to the rank of regular DSP counterpart, but it is higher ranking to all regular or volunteer Assistant Superintendent of Police(ASP).) Volunteer senior officer on duty and in uniform, is entitled to receive a salute from lower their ranking members of regular police force.

Duty of PVR

When PVR were deployed for active duty they may be assigned to any task according to their training, experience, technical knowledge or expertise and physical strength that suits them. The duties undertaken by members of Police volunteers when not actively deployed,is as follows:-

1.1 Beat (police) assignment;

1.2 Patrol ;

1.3 Administrative ;

1.4 Assembly Control (Crowd control)

They are not usually assigned to: -

2.1 Investigate criminal cases;

2.2 Court duty;

2.3 General Operations Force (PGA) Operations ;

2.4 Anti Riot Unit;

2.5 Special Branch;

2.6 Jury.

When called out for active service, the Volunteer Police is subject to the same disciplinary procedures as regular police by the Police (Conduct and Discipline) (Junior Police Officers and Constables) Regulations, 1970, and the Police Force Commission's Instrument of Delegation of Certain Functions, Powers,Duties and Responsibilities, 1976.

Absorbs of People's Volunteer Corps (RELA) and Civil Defence Department (JPAM) members

In August 2009, the Malaysian People's Volunteer Corps (Malay: Ikatan Relawan Rakyat Malaysia) (RELA) and Malaysian Civil Defence Department (Malay: Jabatan Pertahanan Awam Malaysia) (JPAM) members will start their duty as Police Volunteer Reserve (PVR) to achieve the new government's one the six National Key Result Areas (NKRA) in the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) efforts to reduce street crime by 20% in the next 14 months.^[4]^[5]^[6] The Home Minister, Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said 948 are RELA members and 174 others are from the Civil Defence Department were selected to join the team last month.^[7] Currently, the 135 maiden batch of volunteers from the RELA and JPAM will complete their two-week-long training today and are ready to start duties as volunteer police personnel from Sunday.^[8]