Legal Literacy and Procedural Justice: Professional Growth among UiTM Auxiliary Police
Abstract
Auxiliary police have long served as a supporting security force in universities and other semi-public institutions in Malaysia. In recent years, their role has expanded beyond basic enforcement to responsibilities such as making arrests and inspection of room in campus. Not only do they need to have a sound understanding of law and procedure, but each decision making should be made reasonably and fairly. This paper examines the legitimacy of the enforcement by auxiliary police officers at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) through the lens of legal literacy and procedural fairness. The Faculty of Law at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) introduced an In-Service Legal Literacy and Professionalism Enhancement Training (Kursus Latihan Dalam Perkhidmatan Pemantapan Profesionalisme Polis Bantuan UiTM Siri), which includes core modules in the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), Law of Evidence, Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA), Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, and Administrative Law, to strengthen the legal and procedural competence of campus Auxiliary Police. A mixed-method descriptive survey was administered to 58 Auxiliary Police officers at the end of the training. Quantitative items measured perceptions of training effectiveness, confidence in handling criminal and student misconduct cases, and officer-student relations, while open-ended responses captured reflective insights. The findings show that 96.6% of respondents agreed that the Faculty of Law training helped them in campus law-enforcement duties, 96.6% reported greater confidence in handling criminal cases, and 98.3% reported greater confidence in handling student misconduct cases. The open-ended responses also emphasised legal knowledge, practical training, respectful communication, and the need for clearer and more consistent enforcement powers. Viewed through procedural justice, these responses reflect the importance of lawfulness, fair treatment, explanation, and respectful engagement. The study concludes that institutionalised legal-literacy training supports professionalism and provides a basis for procedurally fair campus enforcement.
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References
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