GEORGE TOWN, May 9 — A police inquiry paper has been opened on the incident where a traffic policeman allegedly hit a man at a roadblock in Bukit Mertajam near here yesterday.

In confirming the incident which occurred at 1.15am during an Ops Selamat 18 roadblock, Penang police chief Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said police are conducting further investigations into the case.

"At about 3.30pm yesterday, police had come across a 31-second dashcam video which was uploaded by the owner of the Penang My Hometown Facebook account showing a traffic policeman at a roadblock roughing up a male traffic offender.

"Following this, a police report had been lodged and we will identify and gather information from the owner of the Facebook account to complete the investigation,” he told a press conference here today.

Mohd Shuhaily said the victim has yet to lodge a police report regarding the incident, adding that the officers and personnel involved in the roadblock have been reassigned to administrative duties pending investigation.

We will be transparent in our investigation to ensure justice for all, he said.

Earlier, a video showing a policeman hitting a motorist at a roadblock went viral on social media, drawing criticism from netizens who questioned the police action of beating a civilian.

In another development, Mohd Shuhaily said there were no instructions from senior officers of Bukit Aman or the Penang Police Contingent for two policemen to escort a private vehicle in Jalan Bukit Gambir near here two days ago.

He said the duo had been transferred to the administrative division until the investigation into the case was completed.

"We have contacted the driver of the car to record his statement and the man responded that he will give his cooperation. We want to see whether his actions (of recording and uploading the video) have any elements of trying to tarnish the dignity and image of the police,” he said.

The footage, which was uploaded on Facebook, showed two traffic policemen escorting a vehicle allegedly driven by the son of an MP.

It attracted strong criticism from netizens who were dissatisfied with the individual who used the services of traffic policemen to avoid traffic congestion. — Bernama