# Royal Malaysia Police: Chain of Command, Core Functions and Legal Basis

> An agency entity page for the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) — its legal basis in the Police Act 1967 (Act 344), the five core functions under Section 3(3), the chain of command from the Inspector-General of Police downward, the general duties of police officers under Section 20, and the Police Force Commission under Article 140 of the Federal Constitution, which handles the appointment and discipline of members.

- Category: government
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-07-24
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/government/pdrm

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Most descriptions of PDRM stop at the phrase "the national police force". A more
useful question is narrower: what exactly does the Act permit this force to do,
who holds command over it, and which body determines the appointment and
discipline of its members?

## At a glance

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | Royal Malaysia Police (Polis Diraja Malaysia) |
| Founding statute | Police Act 1967 (Act 344), Part III |
| Predecessor force | Royal Malaysia Police under the Royal Malaysia Police Act 1963, continued by Section 3(1) |
| Head of force | Inspector-General of Police, under Section 4 |
| Responsible to | Minister (the Minister responsible for the police) |
| Honorary Commissioner-in-Chief | Yang di-Pertuan Agong, under Section 6A |
| Human resource body | Police Force Commission, Article 140 of the Federal Constitution |
| Website | `rmp.gov.my` |

Act 344 does not create this force from nothing. Section 3(1) states that those
who were members of the Royal Malaysia Police under the Royal Malaysia Police
Act 1963 immediately before this Act came into force become members of the
force under the new Act "with corresponding rank and in a corresponding
capacity". So the 1967 Act reorganised and consolidated a force that already
existed.

## The force's five purposes

The core of PDRM's functions is contained in a single provision — Section
3(3). It provides that the force shall, subject to the Act, be employed in and
throughout Malaysia (including its territorial waters) for five purposes:

- the maintenance of law and order;
- the preservation of the security and safety of Malaysia;
- the prevention and detection of crime;
- the apprehension and prosecution of offenders; and
- the collection of security intelligence.

The official government portal (malaysia.gov.my) lists the same roles, and
cites Section 3(3) as their legal basis. This scope of "in and throughout
Malaysia" matters: it signals a single federal force, not forces separated by
state.

## Chain of command

PDRM's command structure is set out by two sections that must be read
together — Section 4 (control of the force) and Section 5 (appointments).

Section 4(1) places the force "under the command of an Inspector-General of
Police" who must be a police officer, and who is "responsible to the Minister"
for the control and direction of the force and all other persons appointed for
police duties. He holds all the powers given to a Commissioner or a Chief
Police Officer.

Below him, Section 4(2) provides for the appointment of a Deputy
Inspector-General of Police who is under the direction of the
Inspector-General of Police, and Section 4(3) gives that Deputy all the powers
of a Commissioner or a Chief Police Officer. Section 4(4) in turn allows an
act of the Inspector-General of Police to be carried out — subject to his
order — by the Deputy, a Commissioner, a Deputy Commissioner, a Senior
Assistant Commissioner, or an authorised Assistant Commissioner.

Section 5 lists the positions that may be appointed for the purpose of
carrying out the Act:

| Level | Example positions in Sections 4–5 |
| --- | --- |
| Highest command | Inspector-General of Police; Deputy Inspector-General of Police |
| Senior officers | Commissioner; Deputy Commissioner; Senior Assistant Commissioner; Assistant Commissioner |
| Operational ranks | Senior police officers and other junior police officers; constables |

The ranks of senior and junior police officers are in turn set out in the
First Schedule to the Act, pursuant to Section 5(2).

At the state and formation level, Section 6 provides that members of the
force are controlled by a Commissioner or a Chief Police Officer for an area
or state determined by the Minister, and by an officer designated by the
Inspector-General of Police for any formation, police district or division.

One symbolic provision completes this structure: Section 6A makes the Yang
di-Pertuan Agong the Honorary Commissioner-in-Chief (Panglima Besar Kehormat)
of the Royal Malaysia Police. For the constitutional background to the
Agong's role, see [Yang di-Pertuan Agong](/en/government/yang-di-pertuan-agong).

## What the law permits officers to do

Section 20 sets out the general duties of a police officer. Section 20(1)
requires every officer to perform the duties and exercise the powers imposed
by law, and to obey all lawful directions from his superior officers.

Section 20(3) then states that it is the duty of a police officer to carry
out the purposes referred to in Section 3(3), and lists the lawful measures
that fall within that duty:

- arresting all persons whom he is by law authorised to arrest;
- processing security intelligence;
- conducting prosecutions;
- giving assistance in carrying out the law relating to revenue, excise,
  sanitation, quarantine, immigration and registration;
- helping to maintain order in ports, dockyards and airports;
- executing summonses, subpoenas, warrants and other orders lawfully issued;
- protecting unclaimed and lost property;
- helping to protect life and property;
- attending criminal courts (and, if specially ordered, civil courts) and
  keeping order in them; and
- escorting and guarding prisoners and other persons in police custody.

Two things are worth noting here. First, the power to prosecute is among the
listed duties — although the decision to prosecute in many matters rests with
the Public Prosecutor under other laws (see, for a comparison of power
structures, how [MACC](/en/government/macc-sprm) investigates but refers
matters to the Public Prosecutor). Second, Section 20(4) states that when
escorting prisoners, a police officer is deemed to be a prison officer and
bears the powers and protections of a prison officer.

Many of these duties intersect with other enforcement agencies — for
instance, the reference to immigration and registration relates to the work
of the [Immigration Department](/en/government/imigresen), while the duty to
attend and keep order in courts relates to the
[court system](/en/government/kehakiman-mahkamah).

## Who appoints and evaluates members

This is the part that is often left out. PDRM heads its own operations, but
does not manage its members' employment matters independently. Article 140 of
the Federal Constitution establishes a **Police Force Commission** that is
responsible for the appointment, confirmation, placement in permanent or
pensionable establishment, promotion, transfer and disciplinary control of
members of the police force.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, this Commission consists of:

| Commission member | Position |
| --- | --- |
| The Minister responsible for the police | Chairman |
| Inspector-General of Police | Member |
| Secretary General of the Ministry | Member |
| A member of the Public Services Commission appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong | Member |
| Not fewer than two and not more than six other members, appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong | Member |

The Ministry of Home Affairs states that some of the Commission's functions
are delegated to the Inspector-General of Police and senior officers through
the gazette P.U.(B) 441 dated 14 December 2000. This separation means that
matters of appointment and discipline of members are placed under a statutory
body, rather than resting entirely with the force's operational leadership.
For the broader constitutional basis, see
[Federal Constitution](/en/law/federal-constitution).

## Auxiliary forces

Alongside the permanent force, the Police Act 1967 establishes several
supporting bodies that carry out police duties under the same framework.
These include the Royal Malaysia Police Volunteer Reserve, Auxiliary Police
(Polis Bantuan), Extra Police officers, the Royal Malaysia Police Reserve,
and the Royal Malaysia Police Cadet Corps. The government portal also lists
these supporting groups as helping the general-duty force to maintain public
order.

## Position within government

Because the Inspector-General of Police is responsible to the Minister under
Section 4(1), PDRM sits within the portfolio of the Minister responsible for
the police — that is, the Minister of Home Affairs within the
[Cabinet](/en/government/kabinet-perdana-menteri) arrangement. However, the
day-to-day authority of a police officer derives from the Act and other laws,
not from political direction: Section 20 binds an officer to duties "imposed
by law" and the lawful directions of his superior officers within the force.

## What's next

- Read the text of the Police Act 1967 (Act 344) in the official reprint
  linked in the sources list — the section numbers used above follow that
  text.
- For the constitutional basis of the Police Force Commission, see
  [Federal Constitution](/en/law/federal-constitution).
- For a comparison of the investigative and prosecutorial power structure of
  another federal agency, see [MACC](/en/government/macc-sprm).

## Sources

- Akta Polis 1967 (Akta 344) — Laws of Malaysia, Cetakan Semula — https://www.moha.gov.my/utama/images/akta-pekeliling-garispanduan/bhg-kepenjaraan-antidadah-rela/akta/keselamatan_dan_ketenteraman_awam/english/POLICE_ACT_1967.pdf (Pesuruhjaya Penyemak Undang-Undang / Kementerian Dalam Negeri Malaysia)
- Peranan Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) — https://www.malaysia.gov.my/my/categories/keselamatan-komuniti--undang-undang/keselamatan-awam/peranan-polis-diraja-malaysia-pdrm (Portal Rasmi Kerajaan Malaysia (MyGovernment))
- Suruhanjaya Pasukan Polis — Pengenalan — https://www.moha.gov.my/utama/index.php/en/suruhanjaya-pasukan-polis/pengenalan (Kementerian Dalam Negeri Malaysia)
- Perlembagaan Persekutuan (Cetakan Semula 2020) — Perkara 140, Suruhanjaya Pasukan Polis — https://lom.agc.gov.my/ilims/upload/portal/akta/LOM/EN/Federal%20Constitution%20(Reprint%202020).pdf (Pejabat Peguam Negara Malaysia (AGC))

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