PUTRAJAYA: THE second reading of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) Bill has been postponed to the next Dewan Rakyat meeting, indicating another stumbling block to the establishment of IPCMC.
The road to the setting up of a watchdog for better policing has been all but rough, and striking a balance between the people’s demands and the police’s needs has put the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) secretary and chief executive officer Mohamad Onn Abd Aziz in a less-than-desirable spot.
Onn said the postponement was an opportunity for his team to regroup and review strategies.
“We took the opportunity to have another look at what had transpired.
“The idea, first mooted in 2005, was met with police’s strong objections.
“After taking into consideration feedback from stakeholders, the bill went through reviews before it was tabled in Parliament in July.
“Police representatives were also engaged,” he told the New Sunday Times.
He, however, said the message for the police was not conveyed as intended by the commission.
“Instead, we are facing challenges in addressing the perception and concerns raised by the police.
“It was never our intention to dictate how police should carry out their job or take over the role of its Integrity and Standard Compliance Department, as raised by some quarters.
“The idea is to serve the public better by giving EAIC more bite to address police misconduct.
“In fact, we have been probing into police misconduct and giving recommendations since its inception in 2011.
“However, there were instances where complainants came back and questioned the lack of action, despite recommendations made by EAIC to the police.
“This, in a way, could affect the image of the police force,” said Onn, who is senior federal counsel in the Advisory Division of the Attorney-General’s Chamber.
EAIC receives an average of 600 complaints annually, with each file taking between six months and one year to be completed.
Onn, however, said complaints were filtered, including criminal cases which were handed to the deputy public prosecutor’s office as well as those lodged with malicious intention.
A total of 108 investigation papers have been opened since 2012, with 147 recommendations made to the police.
“By empowering EAIC, we can carry out our tasks more efficiently and improve the people’s perception of police.”
Empowering and upgrading the commission, he said, would help IPCMC address police’s welfare.
“This includes living quarters and condition of lock-ups. “For instance, we see the need to have a medical officer to carry out basic health checks on detainees at each lock-up.”
He said whether the bill went through in Parliament, EAIC would push for improvements, including increasing the number of investigating officers.
The commission, he said, welcomed those who wished to know more about the bill.
“The keyword here is trust. Perception is the silent killer of trust. While we try our best to explain to the public, in particular the police, the problem is that
they already have views on the matter.”
He said if the police were open to the idea of IPCMC, it would be good for the force’s image.