Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia's police force, facing a severe shortage of officers, will mount an aggressive recruitment drive to increase their numbers by more than four times in the next three years, a senior cabinet member said Wednesday.

Chor Chee Heung, the deputy home minister, told Parliament the ratio of police officers to the population stood at roughly 1:750, falling far short of the international standard of 1:250.

Of the total 36,235 police personnel, about 7,000 were stationed in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, he said. The official Bernama news agency quoted Chor as saying there were shortages of police is several areas, including the eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo island.

He said the police had set a target of 150,000 personnel by 2011.

Joining the police force is largely seen as an unattractive prospect among Malaysians, many of whom regard police officers as poorly-paid members of an organisation wracked with corruption and abuse of power. (dpa)