The Cabinet has ordered an immediate overhaul of dress code rules at police stations following public outrage over a woman being denied entry to lodge a report at the Jasin District Police Headquarters for wearing a skirt considered too short.
Government spokesman Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim views public access to police services as “non-negotiable,” stressing that nothing should obstruct a person from filing a police report.
“From the prime minister’s perspective, when it comes to security issues, there should be no situation where anyone is prevented from lodging a report,” Fahmi said in Parliament.
He added that Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar has been instructed to review and amend the 2020 circular governing dress codes at government premises.
Essential frontline services — including police stations, as well as health and security agencies — will be exempted from dress code restrictions under the revised directive, Fahmi confirmed.
The chief secretary’s office will study the issue in detail, and a new directive is expected to be issued soon.
The swift decision contrasts sharply with comments made just a day earlier by Melaka police chief Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar, who had reminded the public to follow the current dress code guidelines unless facing an emergency.
