The Significance of the Dilapidated Old Police Station in Teluk Intan

Teluk Intan is rich with historical tales and valuable relics, each with its own unique significance since its founding by Mak Intan, serving as a base for the Dutch and later the British.

Interestingly, the Leaning Clock Tower, which has become an icon and main attraction in Teluk Intan, was built in 1885 and was listed as a National Heritage Site in 2012 under the building heritage category. However, the same fate did not befall the old police station in Teluk Intan and several other buildings that held more significant roles and existed even before the Leaning Clock Tower was built. If you were unaware, the old police station in Teluk Intan was originally built to serve as a customs administration building to manage Teluk Anson after the Perak State Council meeting changed the name from Teluk Mak Intan to Teluk Anson in 1882. The British Resident of Perak, Sir Hugh Low, had proposed to the State Council that the name of the bay be changed from Teluk Mak Intan to Teluk Anson to commemorate the services of General Archibald Anson, the District Officer of Hilir Perak.

In line with the development around Teluk Anson, this building was eventually converted into a police station due to its strategic location in the town center. Sir Hugh Low was the individual responsible for the construction of the police station and government buildings in Teluk Anson.

"The Customs House, the Court House, landing jetty and Chief Police Station should be put there in once. I will send the plan and write on the subject to Singapore as soon as I can...", Sir Hugh Low.

The old police station building in Teluk Intan is also one of the main witnesses that still stands today, dating back to when Teluk Anson Town was inaugurated in 1882. Since the British colonial era, it was used as a detention center for those found guilty of any offense.

Then came the Japanese occupation of Malaya in 1941. The Japanese also used this old Teluk Intan police station building as the headquarters for the Japanese military police (Kempeitai), and it was feared as a center for detention, interrogation, and torture.

During the Emergency era, the bodies of communist terrorists killed in various attacks around the Hilir Perak area would be brought to the grounds of this old Teluk Intan police station and displayed to the public before being buried.

Although this old Teluk Intan police station building is full of history, it is now neglected. It is truly a pity to see the condition of this building, which is so dilapidated and beginning to rot, waiting for the moment it collapses to the ground.

It is highly appropriate for the relevant authorities to safeguard this heritage and immediately restore it so that it can be viewed, remembered, and appreciated by future generations. This will ensure they know the local history, and indirectly, it could become another valuable new tourism asset in Teluk Intan.