KUALA LUMPUR: The police will set up a special unit to probe cases of deaths in custody, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
The Criminal Investigation Unit on Deaths in Custody which will begin operations starting Jan 1, 2022, will be staffed by 12 police personnel and a civilian staff member.
"This unit will begin operation on Jan 1 next year, headed by a police superintendent. From this date, all deaths involving detainees will be handled by this unit.
"This is the outcome by taking into account the people's voices on wanting thorough investigations on cases regarding custodial deaths.
"We believe this unit will enhance the police force's image and integrity in resolving serious issues such as these," he said at a press conference after the launching ceremony of the Home Minister's 100 Days Keluarga Malaysia Aspiration at the Kuala Lumpur Police Training Centre here today.
Also present was Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim as well as Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz.
Hamzah informed that the unit would focus on three aspects which include criminal liability that would involve transparent investigations, detection and involvement of any criminal elements.
He said the second focus would be on duty of care, whereby the unit would conduct probe into cases involving omissions as well as negligence committed by police officers.
On the third focus of the unit, the minister said it would look into the standard operating procedure (SOP) and instructions' compliance.
Hamzah denied that there were racial elements involved in the custodial deaths.
He said from 2015 until now, 82 deaths in lock-ups have been reported, with the victims comprising 42 Malays, 13 Chinese, 15 Indians and 12 foreigners.
"These deaths were inevitable as people have underlying health issues such as high blood pressure or other health issues when they were under detention," he said.
According to him, the Home Ministry was holding discussions with the Finance Ministry to get allocation so that those under arrest could be sent to private clinics for preliminary health checks before being taken to lock-ups.
"Currently they can be examined only by medical officers from the Health Ministry and this causes delays because of the high number of detainees," he said.
Earlier, in his speech at the launch ceremony, Hamzah said the pioneer project of allowing General Operations Force (GOP) security control posts in Sabah and Sarawak to function as police stations would be extended nationwide within six months.
He said nine security control posts in Sabah and two in Sarawak are now involved in the project.
"These 11 control posts can receive police reports as well as reports on deaths and births to make it easier for people living in the interiors who previously had to travel up to five hours to get to the nearest police station to lodge reports," he added.