KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) require specific laws to effectively curb cyberbullying, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain.

Razarudin said that police currently have to use various legal provisions to handle such cases, such as the Penal Code and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

"When it involves cases of extortion and threats, the police will investigate according to the Penal Code, and when it involves derogatory comments and offensive remarks, the case is investigated under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998,” he said when contacted today.

In light of this, he said he had met with Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil to discuss the need for specific legislation regarding cyberbullying.

He added that two PDRM departments, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), were also present at the meeting to discuss the matter in detail.

Yesterday, Fahmi said that in efforts to tackle cyberbullying on social media platforms, the Ministry of Communications would review existing laws under the Penal Code and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, as well as other relevant laws.

He also informed that the government would look into the necessity of drafting a new act specifically for cyberbullying. — Bernama