KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 — All police stations nationwide have been told to close their gates from 10pm as part of security measures, Parliament was told today.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the decision was made after two policemen were killed in an assault at the Ulu Tiram Police Station in Johor in May.

"Directions for the police station, the gate closes after 10pm. We have to balance between the police station where people complain; at the same time the police station is also a target. So we balance the two needs.

"The incident in Ulu Tiram for example, there were two people arguing with the police and that's when the attack happened,” he said during Question Time.

He added that the police have been given very clear instructions to reexamine and tighten their standard operating procedures for all their district headquarters and major stations, including teh frequency of conducting patrols.

"In terms of the logistics situation at each police station, whether it's lights, fences and so on, we issued instructions to immediately provide information and it will go through a process for us to improve,” he said.

On May 17, two police officers, Constable Ahmad Azza Fahmi Azhar, 22, and Constable Muhamad Syafiq Ahmad Said, 24, were killed after being attacked by a man wielding a machete at the Ulu Tiram police station in Johor. Corporal Mohd Hasif Roslan, 38, was injured by a gunshot.

Initially, police said the attacker was a member of Jemaah Islamiyah.

But after further investigations, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain clarified that there were no ties between the attacker, who also died in the incident, and the South-east Asian extremist group.

Police stations nationwide were put on high alert following the Ulu Tiram attack.

A 32-year-old Malaysian man was arrested the next day for trying to snatch a police officer’s submachine gun at the Dato Keramat station in Penang, believed to have been under the influence of alcohol.