The Poman manual emphasizes the importance of best practices in public order management, including:

Public Order Manual (POMAN) 1971 —officially designated as AF Code T 1025 / Police 15 —is a sensitive joint publication issued by the Royal Malaysian Police Headquarters Ministry of Defense

For two decades, POMAN 1971 was a “restricted” police publication. Police authorities refused to release it to defense lawyers or even magistrates. It was treated as operational secret, leading to accusations that police were inventing their own private criminal code. After a sustained Freedom of Information campaign in the 1990s, most (but not all) of POMAN 1971 was declassified, revealing a document that was simultaneously more professional and more alarming than critics had imagined.

Procedures were also laid out for military columns moving into a troubled area. This included checklists for establishing a battalion headquarters, setting up operations rooms, and the crucial role of securing for military convoys to protect them from "action by subversive demonstrators" during transit. The manual even specified the duties of individual staff roles, such as the Controller, the Recorder, and the Duty Officer, ensuring that every person in the command chain knew their responsibilities.

More information on the role. A comparison of POMAN 1971 to more modern police manuals . Bioterrorism Preparedness for Malaysian Environment

: Transferring crowd-control authority from local municipal offices to cohesive federal or state police guidelines.

The 1971 manual was instrumental in standardizing public order equipment. It led to the widespread adoption of reinforced shields, impact-resistant helmets, protective padding, and specialized communication arrays, transforming the appearance of the police officer into a distinct tactical entity. Global Impact and Colonial Legacy

Statutes established during this era, such as the Australian Public Order Act 1971 , introduced systemic definitions that remain pillars of modern police manuals: Public Order (Protection of Persons and Property) Act 1971

Note: The manual is a classified or controlled document within the Malaysian security forces, and its complete, updated contents are not for public dissemination.

POMAN 1971 was formally superseded in 1999 by the (commonly called MOG 1999), which was itself updated after the 2011 UK riots. However, the DNA of POMAN remains.

The enduring relevance of POMAN 1971 is a testament to a dark truth about public order: the fundamental physics of crowds have not changed. Humans in large groups still tire, panic, and escalate. Police still need to form lines, make arrests, and protect property.

Although established in 1971, the manual remains a cornerstone of police procedure in Malaysia regarding high-stakes public order management. Its directives are meant to be applied with strict adherence to legal standards, ensuring that force is used proportionally to the threat to public safety.

The manual is structured into chapters that dictate specific field maneuvers and use-of-force protocols: Crowd Dispersal (Chapter 25)

For historians of criminology, police trainers, and legal scholars, POMAN 1971 represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of Western public order policing. Published in the early years of a tumultuous decade marked by industrial strikes, anti-war protests, and civil rights marches, this manual was not merely a bureaucratic handbook. It was a that shifted the philosophy of crowd management from reactive suppression to proactive, intelligence-led containment.

Utilizes the ; treats crowds as heterogeneous groups with rights. Primary Tactic

Public Order Manual Poman 1971 ~upd~ 100%