A citizens' group has expressed outrage over a police claim that it is allowed to give 'crew cuts' to detainees held in lock-ups.

In a statement, Malaysians against Death Penalty and Torture said this "exhibits the police department's inveterate inability to understand that arrested persons are not convicts and are innocent until proven guilty".

N Surendran and Charles Hector, who signed the statement, were responding to a statement by federal CID director Fauzi Shaari in The Star two days ago.

"Under lock-up rules, police can give detainees a crew cut. Most of the time the lock-ups are very stuffy due to overcrowding and the haircut will help," Fauzi had said in relation to two cases that had been highlighted.

On March 22, a 45-year-old former civil servant was given a crew cut at the Kajang police headquarters after being arrested by enforcement officers of the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry for allegedly possessing pirated VCDs.

On March 31, 15 students who were taken to the Gombak police headquarters for alleged involvement in a fight with another group of youths, also got crew cuts.

Fauzi stressed that this ruling applies to all detainees, including those brought in by other government agencies to be placed in police custody.

'Improve conditions'

Questioning the rationale of giving crew cuts for purposes of hygiene, the group said this was an admission that police lock-ups are "unhygienic places".

"It is undeniable that lock-ups in Malaysia are generally smelly, dirty, over-crowded and lacking (in) adequate toilet and bathroom facilities," its statement said.

"The police department ought to take the initiative to improve conditions instead of giving crew cuts to detainees. The time of the police department is better spent (on) investigating and solving crimes instead of posing as 'barbers' to arrested persons."

The group also said it is not the role of the police force to give lessons on discipline to the Malaysian public, by subjecting detainees to haircuts.

"It is time the police realise that arrested persons cannot be treated as if they were inmates of notorious penal institutions such as Chekhov's Island of Sakhalin or the Gulag Archipelago or Devil's Island. This seems obvious to everyone except the police department which appears to think that it is permissible to treat arrested suspects as if they were hardened convicts.

"It must be remembered that persons detained in police lock-ups are mere suspects pending investigation (of a crime). Many a time, arrested persons are released in a couple of hours or days after police investigations show that they are not involved."

Calling Fauzi's statement "unacceptable", the group demanded a stop to the practice of giving crew cuts as it "is humiliating and is an affront to human dignity".