Phaik Kin Cheah, an Associate Professor and volunteer police officer in Malaysia, discusses her involvement in volunteer policing and the history of the program.

She highlights the diverse roles and responsibilities of volunteer police officers, including patrolling, traffic monitoring, serving at inquiry counters, and performing guard duties.

Phaik Kin also shares her experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, where volunteers played a crucial role in enforcing health measures and providing assistance to the community. She emphasizes the importance of academic research in understanding the challenges faced by volunteers and improving support systems.

She also believes that international collaboration and learning from different models of volunteer policing can enhance efforts and promote public safety.

Takeaways

• Volunteer policing in Malaysia allows everyday people to volunteer as police officers in their spare time, contributing to the community while maintaining their full-time jobs.
• Volunteer police officers in Malaysia have diverse roles, including patrolling, traffic monitoring, serving at inquiry counters, and performing guard duties.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteer police officers in Malaysia played a crucial role in enforcing health measures and providing assistance to the community.
• Academic research in volunteer policing is important for understanding the challenges faced by volunteers, improving support systems, and enhancing training programs.
• International collaboration and learning from different models of volunteer policing can lead to more effective and efficient volunteer policing worldwide.

Sound Bites

• “Can you imagine how confused my students were when they see me in the police uniform when they go out at night?”
• “The PVR program is really a great example of community involvement in Malaysia. It boosts public safety and also instills a strong sense of civic duty among its members.”
• “One experience that really stands out for me is when I initiated and led a project to document and research police volunteer work in Malaysia.”

Chapters
00:00.  Introduction and Background
02:57.  Roles and Responsibilities of PVR Officers
07:02.  The Relationship Between Regular Officers and Volunteers
09:02.  The Importance of Academic Research in Volunteer Policing
16:23.  Challenges in Recruitment and Retention of Volunteers
19:04.  International Collaboration and Learning from Different Models

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