I refer to your report Custodial deaths: IGP barking up wrong tree .

I feel it incumbent upon me to reply to the adverse comments made by certain figures (most of them proponents of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission) against the Inspector-General of Police's speech to OCSs (Officers-in-charge of Police Stations) at the OCS seminar at the Senior Officers College in Cheras recently. An outsider does not understand the working system of the police .

According to the IGP's Standing Order (or Hukuman Tetap KPN [HTKPN] ), apart from being the officer-in-charge of the station, he is also to investigate all sudden deaths such as drowning, suicides ,overdose of drug consumption etc. But this does not include sudden deaths in the police lock-up.

Normally the OCPD (Officer-in charge of Police District) would appoint an officer of the rank of not less than an Inspector to investigate cases of sudden deaths in the lock ups. According to the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), the Magistrate of the area/district would also be required to view the body 'in situ' in the lock up before further actions can be taken.

Only then would the Investigating Officer (IO) proceed to send the body to the hospital for a post- mortem. In this case the doctor is duty bound to perform the post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death.

The SDR (Sudden Death Report) would be compiled by the IO and forwarded to the OCPD for his comments before it is forwarded to the OCCI of the state (Officer-in-charge of Criminal Investigations of the state). Then it is forwarded to the state DPP (deputy public prosecutor) for instructions. Finally the paper is then forwarded to the magistrate for an order of inquest.

According to the CPC, the magistrate is empowered to dispense with an inquest if he or she feels that there is no foul play .

What I am trying to put forward here is that there is very little chance that the IO can meddle in investigations in order to protect his colleagues because of the supervisory levels that we have in the system. Even if he tries, it would be finally be detected. The IO would not risk his future because of this.

Haven't we heard of police officers being charged in court for committing criminal offences including murder and possession of drugs under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drug Ordinance which carries the death sentence? This is enough evidence that the police are quite fair in bringin their own to book.

I am not against the IPCMC but it should not only be for the police force. It should include all government departments. Then it would be fair.