Woman Forced To Buy Pants Before Reporting Car Accident Due To Police Station Dress Code

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A 56-year-old woman was turned away from a police station for wearing a knee-length skirt while trying to report a car accident, sparking debate over strict dress codes during emergencies.

The woman, identified only as Guo, was driving back to Kuala Lumpur from Batu Pahat, Johor on Monday afternoon when her car was rear-ended by another vehicle on the North-South Expressway.

After the collision, both parties were directed to report the incident at the Jasin police district headquarters in Melaka, but when Guo arrived with her daughter, a police officer refused to let them enter because their knee-length skirts violated the station’s dress code.

“I pleaded with the officer to be flexible because my car had been hit on the highway and I needed to make a police report urgently,” Guo told reporters.

The officer said if he let them in, he would get into trouble, and eventually told her to go to a nearby shopping mall to buy long pants before returning to file the report.

Guo, who said she had faced similar issues at immigration offices before, was frustrated by the rigid enforcement.

She questioned whether authorities would maintain the same stance in more serious situations: “If this wasn’t a car accident but a murder case, would they still insist on this?”

The woman eventually had to buy pants from the mall before she could enter the police station to file her report.

Guo revealed that the driver who hit her car was a man who had his wife and two young children in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Meanwhile, the police defended the officer’s actions, saying the personnel follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the government.

Dress codes must be observed when visiting any government institution, including police stations.

However, Melaka state executive councillor and Kedisang assemblyman, Allex Seah Shoo Chin, said he has contacted the state police chief to investigate the matter.

The incident has reignited long-standing concerns about whether strict dress codes should be enforced during emergency situations when people need urgent assistance from authorities, highlighting a recurring problem that has plagued government facilities for years.

While government buildings typically maintain dress standards, critics argue that exceptions should be made for accident victims and others seeking help in urgent circumstances.

There have been calls for clearer dress code guidelines in government facilities to avoid confusion and to promote mutual respect among the public.

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Based on original reporting by Sin Chew

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