IPOH, Dec 18 — The police have denied that special treatment was accorded to the senior police officer who was charged with the murder of a Form Five male student last Friday at the Magistrate’s Court here today.

Perak deputy police chief Datuk Azizi Mat Aris said the tight cordon was a normal procedure conducted whenever an accused was brought to court to be charged.

"This is the normal procedure for an accused, starting with being escorted by the police from the station lockup to the court and then presented in front of the judge.

"In this case, the accused is an ordinary offender, we don’t view him as a high-profile individual only that the case has attracted attention, so we need to have a tight cordon,” he told reporters when visiting the family home of the Form Five student, Muhammad Zaharif Affendi Muhd Zamrie here today.

He said that the police assured that the comprehensive investigation into the senior officer with the rank of deputy superintendent (DSP) from the Kedah contingent police headquarters was done fairly and transparently.

"This is in line with what Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said. As for now, the accused is charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code and is being held in Taiping Prison while awaiting his trial,” he said. — Bernama