THE table where three men — two retired police officers and another with a passion and interest in the force — sat around for a chat on Saturday may be small, but their conversation evoked great memories and significance.
With physical distancing in mind, sitting beside and opposite deputy superintendent (Rtd) Kenny Woodworth, 87, the police officer involved in ending the reign of terror of criminal Botak Chin in 1976, were former inspector-general of police Tan Sri Musa Hassan and former Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation vice-president M. Jayabarathi.
Musa, who retired in 2010 after 41 years in the force, was in a superior rank than Kenny.
But throughout their conversation, there were no airs about Musa, who addressed Kenny as his boss, or rather a senior with whom he had worked with during their crime-busting days but was seeing for the first time after losing touch for close to 40 years.
Jayabarathi, on the other hand, was a 23 year old from Raub, Pahang, when he read about Botak Chin being shot by the police, but had no idea who had pulled the trigger.
For Musa and Jayabarathi, who have been friends since 1987, it was the New Straits Times' article headlined "I shot Botak Chin" by veteran journalist Najib Abdul Rahman, published on July 15, that sparked the idea for a meet-up with Kenny at an old folks' home in Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya.
Kenny has been staying at the home after the death of his wife, Joan Sylvia Maureen.
Their intention was to express appreciation and gratitude to Kenny, who helped bring down Botak Chin, whose real name was Wong Swee Chin, the most dangerous gangster in Kuala Lumpur during the 1960s and 1970s.
Musa said he was happy to have met Kenny, whom he described as feared by gangsters in Kuala Lumpur, for a catch-up as they both last saw each other in 1988.
"Kenny is healthy and able to recall what he did in the force. He still remembers that I was based in Bukit Aman in the 1980s. I was an inspector in a special squad to arrest gangsters.
"I had a group of officers who questioned suspects upon the instructions of the Kuala Lumpur contingent.
"To put it simply, he made the arrests and we assisted in the interrogations. That was how we connected. I admired his dedication and he has my respect."
Musa said police officers, like Kenny, should not be forgotten by the force as they sacrificed their lives to keep the country safe and that its Welfare Department should look into their wellbeing.
"Don't ignore these people. Do take care of them and visit them. They played an important role in safeguarding the country.
"Retired police officers like Kenny should be given Pingat Kebaktian for their services, which should be highlighted by the force via social media so that the people can learn about them.
"Likewise, Kenny has vast experience and can be an inspiration and a source of information to the force, especially to the young, serving personnel and officers.
"His experiences and that of other retired officers are priceless. Different officers have different experiences.
"Kenny has had criminals shooting at him, and this experience can be shared with police officers.
"I received advice and learnt a lot from Kenny when I was a young police officer.
"Without senior officers like him, we are nobody.
"We have no qualms about sharing because in the force, we are like brothers. Once a policeman, always a policeman."
Musa said the force could explore the possibility of having retired police officers lecturing and conducting classes at police training centres.
To this, Kenny said he welcomed anyone from the force who wished to see him for advice.
For Jayabarathi, it was an eventful day as he had the chance to meet Kenny, who he hailed as a national hero.
"He gave his life to the police force and even got shot.
"I am lucky to meet him and I want to show my appreciation and gratitude to him.
"Rain or shine, he was there for the country to keep us safe and it was because of policemen like him that we can move around freely today.
"We must take care of them and I promise to do what I can for them."
Before parting ways, Kenny requested that Musa and Jaya-barathi help him with one task: to submit Joan's death certificate to Bukit Aman to claim a one-off burial expense allowance.
Kenny had earlier said that someone from Bukit Aman had promised to pick up the photocopied certificate from him, but had heard nothing.