In the past, there have been cases of people impersonating police officers to commit crimes. Therefore, the authorities must prevent this from happening so that crooks do not harm the people and damage the reputation of the authorities. At the same time, the authorities must also help provide information to the people so that they understand the true identity of the police force and their mission.
The story that was spread on social media that the police were stealing people’s motorbikes every day in Meanchey District has been spreading and has been investigated by experts and it has been learned that this case is a case of confusion. According to what the citizen has posted, the investigation began after the citizen posted on social media that the authorities were in Meanchey District, but the district authorities clarified that they were not.
Following this case, Lieutenant General Chuon Narin, Deputy Commissioner and Commissioner of Phnom Penh Metropolitan Police, ordered the relevant authorities to contact the victim to file a complaint so that the relevant authorities can investigate and take legal action against the person who impersonated a police officer to extort money from the public.
Following further investigation, the Meanchey Police Inspectorate also denied that the officer in question was not an officer working at the Meanchey Police Inspectorate nor was he an officer of the Phnom Penh Metropolitan Police.
At the same time, the owner of the Facebook account that posted the accusations against the Meanchey District Police also came forward to apologize publicly, stating that this was a case of misunderstanding. This case has been closed, but there have been some previous reports of counterfeit police uniforms because police uniforms are now available on the market and are known to be sold openly.
According to previous reports in Cambodia, police have also cracked down on criminals who used counterfeit police uniforms and carried out illegal activities, so new cases may also occur. To prevent new cases from occurring, the authorities should have a method or inform citizens about what to do so that they can identify who is a real authority and who is a fake authority.
The authorities will understand this because if citizens do not know the difference between a scammer and a fake, when the scammers continue to act, citizens will continue to accuse the right authorities. Therefore, in order to prevent citizens from misunderstand the authorities, they should find ways to prove their legitimacy by confirming their identity, having a mission letter, and an authority card. What is the purpose? It is to build trust and have tips to share with citizens.
