KUALA LUMPUR: A popular YouTube couple from the UK, who are on an adventure across the world, had a brush with the ugly side of Malaysian law enforcement today.
Chris and Marianne Fisher, from Shropshire and known for their channel ‘TREAD the globe’, were stopped by traffic police in Ipoh, Perak, who solicited RM100 from them.
A video of the interaction was uploaded on the couple’s YouTube channel as well as their X account.
The 51-second video clip, courtesy of an onboard camera, showed the couple stopping their van by the roadside before a traffic policemen appears at the front driver’s window.
Both parties are heard exchanging greetings, before the policeman tells the couple that they were driving above the speed limit.
The cop is heard telling them that the speed limit was 60kmh while they were traveling at 70.5kmh.
Marianne, who appeared shocked, apologised for not noticing the speed limit and asked the cop on what the next step is.
The cop tells them that he will issue them a summons and they have to pay it at the police station, to which Marianne agreed.
However, the cop then brazenly made them an offer.
“I’ll issue a summons and you pay at the police station. If you pay at the police station (it’s) RM300. Pay here it’s RM100. Can ah?,” the policeman is heard saying.
Marianne is heard asking him which he preferred, to which the policeman replied “here.”
She then hands him the money and asked the policeman if he needed to examine their paperwork.
The policeman dismisses her with a “no” and walked away, saying “okay, settle.”
The cop is seen radioing a colleague the van’s registration number before leaving with the money folded in his palm.
Chris, in the video, later narrates the aftermath of the incident.
“We sat there processing what just happened. Were we speeding? Maybe we were.
I guess if we were, having the opportunity to pay a lower cash rate and not drive to the police station to get points was a great option.
“But were we actually speeding? I guess that’s just one thing we’ll just never know.”
This video, taken from a 30-minute long vlog, has since been viewed more than 900,000 times on X.
The Fishers have spent the last five years of their lives traveling the world in their trusty Fiat Ducato van, which they nicknamed Trudy.
Recording their journey via their YouTube channel ‘TREAD the globe’, the couple have entertained countless viewers with their adventures as they drove through Alaska, North America, Europe and now, Southeast Asia.
In response, Bukit Aman Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department director, Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri, said police were made aware of the video at 4.30pm today and have initiated an investigation.
“We do not tolerate any wrongdoings or misconduct by any of our personnel or officers on duty. The public can rest assured that we will investigate the accusation against the policeman in the video and he will face the law,” he said in a statement.
There's a UK couple doing a van tour around the world. They're in Malaysia now.
Baru kena saman dengan polis sebab speeding. Ada option nak bayar kat balai polis rm300 atau bayar RM100 kat polis on the spot.
Taktau plak kita ada option ni.
Source: https://t.co/lP19WjYs1j pic.twitter.com/lKU6NUM5XV
— DoktorRezz (@doktorrezz) January 28, 2024
He urged the public to not make any unnecessary speculation which could jeopardise the investigation.
“Anyone with information about the incident may also contact us on 0322663356 (Control Centre) or email us at protrafik_ba@rmp.gov.my,” he said.
The incident drew widespread condemnation from social media users, who panned the policeman for bringing the country into disrepute.
They were quick to point out that there was no such discount system for on-the-spot payment, and that what the policeman did was illegal.
@nine_millimeter wrote:” Such a shame for Malaysia. Hopefully the corrupted cop gets arrested soon.”
@ReefearEapear wrote: ” Never pay any money or summons to on-site policeman. All summons must pay at the police station or even online. Even if you pay early at police station, you can get a discount. You are not supposed to pay RM300. That policeman was literally asking for a bribe. He should not be asking for any money! I am so sorry you needed to go through that situation! Such a disgrace to the police”
@uncleyongtaufu wrote: “As a Malaysian, we are so sorry for the cheap attitude of the police.”
@eminentgold wrote: “This is the dark side of Malaysian police. It’s quite rampant unfortunately. And not many are willing to come forward to share their experience in the media. Mostly through word of mouth only on how almost all have met such corruption in one way or another. Truly shameful.”
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