This passage has since been removed from the new release of FM 3-24 and I would like to get a clearer picture on this.

"In 1948, the Malayan Communist Party, whose members were primarily ethnic Chinese, began an insurgency against the British colonial government. The British first responded by dramatically expanding the Malayan security forces. The police, not the army, served as the lead counterinsurgency force. Between 1948 and 1950, the number of Malayan police expanded fivefold to 50,000, while the British army garrison expanded to 40,000.

However, there was only time to provide a few weeks of rudimentary training to the new police officers before throwing them into operations. Police with little training and little competent leadership were ineffective in conducting operations. They also abused the civilian population and fell into corrupt practices. The population largely regarded the police as hostile; they were reluctant to give them information on the insurgents.

By 1952, the insurgency had reached a stalemate. The British then established a new strategy. The strategy included reforming and retraining the entire Malaya Police Force. First, 10,000 corrupt or incompetent police officers were removed from the force. Then, police officers who had proven the most competent in operations were made instructors in new police schools. During 1952 and 1953, every police officer attended a four-month basic training course. Police commissioned and noncommissioned officers were sent to three- to four-month advanced courses. All senior Malayan police officers were required to attend the police intelligence school. There they learned the latest criminal investigation techniques. Teams of Britain’s top police officers taught them intelligence collection and analysis methods as well. Dozens of the most promising Malayan officers attended the full yearlong course in advanced police operations in Britain. To win the ethnic Chinese away from the insurgents, the British worked closely with ethnic Chinese organizations to recruit Chinese for the Malaya Police Force.

In 1952, the number of ethnic Chinese in the force more than doubled. Although the percentage of ethnic Chinese in the police force did not equal their percentage in the population, the ethnic Chinese saw this reaching out as a sign that the government was addressing their interests. At the same time, some Chinese and Malay political groups were building a coalition to establish an independent Malaya in which all the major ethnic groups would participate. The two efforts complemented each other. Better trained police officers and soldiers led by fully trained commissioned and noncommissioned officers dramatically improved the Malayan security forces’ discipline. Better relations between the population and security forces resulted, and the people began to provide information on the insurgents. Thanks to their intelligence training, the security forces could develop intelligence from that information and act on it. They begin to break the insurgent organization.

In 1953, the government gained the initiative. After that, the insurgent forces and support structure declined rapidly. In late 1953, the British began withdrawing forces. They progressively turned the war over to the Malayans, who were fully prepared to conduct counterinsurgency operations without a drop in efficiency. The Malaya insurgency provides lessons applicable to combating any insurgency. Manpower is not enough; well-trained and well-disciplined forces are required.

The Malayan example also illustrates the central role that police play in counterinsurgency operations. British leaders concentrated on training the Malayan leadership. The British insisted that chosen personnel receive the full British Army and police officer courses. These actions built the Malayan security forces on a sound foundation. By taking a comprehensive approach to security force training and reform, the British commanders transformed a demoralized organization into a winning force. This transformation required only 15 months."- Counter-Insurgency FM 3-24 pages 6-21 to 6-22