Using physical obstructions, shields, and vehicles to block access to sensitive areas.
The manual pioneered geometric crowd-movement formations. Police officers were trained to operate not as individuals, but as cohesive tactical blocks. This included wedge formations to split crowds, box formations to protect sensitive infrastructure, and rapid-intervention arrest squads designed to extract key agitators from a mass of peaceful demonstrators. The Secrecy Controversy: The Unseen Rulebook
Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) & Ministry of Defence. public order manual poman 1971
The POMAN 1971 framework shifted policing away from static defensive lines and toward . It introduced specific field tactics that remain controversial yet foundational in riot control manuals today.
: Operations shifted to rely on pre-event recon, risk profiles, and community dialogue. Using physical obstructions, shields, and vehicles to block
: Transferring crowd-control authority from local municipal offices to cohesive federal or state police guidelines.
The Public Order Manual 1971 remains relevant as it established the "standard operating procedures" (SOPs) that form the basis for modern crowd management in Malaysia. It institutionalized the approach to handling security threats, emphasizing: This included wedge formations to split crowds, box
: It provided a uniform, nationwide procedure for police, reducing ad-hoc decision-making in high-tension situations.
The creation of the POMAN manual was not an isolated event but a direct response to a turbulent global landscape:
Before 1971, many police departments lacked dedicated, non-lethal operational training for large assemblies. Responses were often reactive, inconsistent, and overly reliant on brute physical force, which frequently escalated minor standoffs into full-scale riots.
The manual formalized the concept that force must be applied progressively. Police were instructed to move from presence and verbal commands to physical containment, and only use defensive equipment as a last resort.