Royal Malaysia Police Museum

Lonely Planet review

Between the Islamic Arts Museum and the Planetarium is the surprisingly interesting Royal Malaysia Police Museum. Inside you can see police uniforms and vehicles, a collection of old swords, cannons and kris, plus some sinister-looking handmade guns and knives seized from members of Malaysia's shady 'secret societies', responsible for most of the organised crime in Malaysia.

These forerunners to the modern-day Triads accumulated vast fortunes from smuggling and racketeering, carrying out robberies and assassinations, stage-managing strikes and riots, and pushing forward the political agenda of the Hokkien and Hakka communities. Their reach extended across Malaya and Singapore. During the 1860s, Penang faced all-out war between the Hai San and Gheen Hin gangs over the Perak Mines, triggering a massive crackdown on gang membership by the colonial police. The power of the secret societies waned as the Malay community took control of Malaysian politics.