A police constable found himself faced with disciplinary action after he tried to solicit a bribe from a farmer – who went on to become the inspector-general of police.

Abdul Hamid Bador had turned to farming after his retirement, before being picked to head the Special Branch and as the IGP a year later.

"One day, I was on my way to the market in my pickup truck, which was laden with cucumbers, long beans and eggplants," he said in an interview with the New Straits Times.

"I was stopped by a police officer on a motorbike and he claimed that my truck was overloaded. I told him it was not, because the weight (of the vegetables) was not over 500kg.

"He then asked me whether my assistant, who was also in the truck, was a foreigner. I told him he was a Bangladeshi with a valid work permit."

Hamid said he had no qualms treating the constable to a drink, but that the latter's request for "duit kopi" crossed a line.

"Obviously, he didn't know who I was," he added.

Hamid related the story to emphasise that cops should focus on patrolling and crime prevention rather than on stopping passing motorists.

He also stressed the need to eradicate corruption in the police force.

Hamid opted for retirement after he was removed as the Special Branch deputy director and transferred to the Prime Minister's Department.

He refused to clock in at his new job, and claimed his removal was linked to the 1MDB scandal.

His transfer came amid a crackdown on the 1MDB investigation under then-prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Najib now faces 42 charges of money laundering, criminal breach of trust and abuse of power following the country's first change of government in 60 years as a result of last year's general election.

With Dr Mahathir Mohamad installed as the new prime minister, Hamid was called out of retirement to first lead the Special Branch, and is now the country's top cop.

He also told NST that the appointment has forced him to put his love for farming on hold, and surrender his business to his partners.

However, he intends to go back to farming when his two-year contract as the inspector-general of police expires.