Incoming IGP must discipline his men to adhere to law

By FMT Staff

KUALA LUMPUR: Incoming inspector general of police (IGP) Ismail Omar must discipline his men and do away with the brutal 'detain first, investigate later' practice which has discredited the image of the country’s police force.
Suara Rakyat Malaysia coordinator Tah Moon Hui said Ismail must train members of the police force to implement codes of conduct during interrogation of detainees as stipulated under the Lock-Up Facilities Act and the Criminal Procedure Code.
He said this was the only way to ensure that cases of death due to police negligence in lock-ups are reduced.
"The IGP must prioritise this issue. He must make sure that they carry out investigations before making any form of arrests. This is most important.
“If the police completed their investigations and then made the arrests, then they can immediately charge the suspect in court. Let the court decide if he should be detained or not.
“In many cases the detainees who died in police lock-ups were people held to help police investigations.  He should stop the detain first investigate later practice, ” said Tah, adding that to date 141 cases of deaths in police lock-ups have been reported since 2000, the latest being a youth named R Gunasegaran.

No concrete proof

Tah said many suggestions have been forwarded to the police to help reduce  incidents of deaths in detention but the police apparently weren't interested or did not believe the suggestions were necessary.
"We have carried out strategic investigations and monitored the cases of deaths in police lock-ups in recent years.
“There is no concrete proof that the police have take sufficient action to avoid or reduce deaths while in detention,” said Tah.
He added that the Acts, which had been amended decades ago, still had room for improvements such as affirming the rights of detainees, such as the right to legal representation and right to know why they were being detained.
Citing an example, he said they had suggested that close-circuit televisions (CCTV) be fitted in all interrogation rooms so that the recordings could be used, but until now there had been no moves to do so.
“Some police investigation rooms have installed CCTVs but it either does not work or is directed elsewhere, ” he said, adding that in most cases interrogations did not adhere to the conditions stipulated under the Lock-Up Act.
The Act details the duration of each interrogation session, the rights and safety of the detainees.