The police may not be facing so many complaints about alleged abuse of detainees if the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) had been set up, said former chief justice Mohd Dzaiddin Abdullah.

Mohd Dzaiddin, who heads a five-member inquiry body to look into the incident where a female police detainee was made to do 'ear-squats' in the nude, said this after chairing their first meeting in Putrajaya this morning.

"My personal view is this: had the IPCMC been established, probably a lot of these things would not have occurred," said Dzaiddin.

He had headed the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysian Police, which had recommended the creation of the IPCMC seven months ago.

Dzaiddin said he believed the inquiry findings will be taken seriously by the government, which has given the body 30 working days to complete the proceedings.

"I don't want to be involved in something which they think is not worth implementing," he said, pledging that the recommendations would be made public.

"I, for one, will recommend it. We don't want it to be said there is a cover-up."

The inquiry will further examine which of the earlier recommendations had not been implemented since the report was submitted, and the reasons for this.

"(It is like) revisiting the report to see what has been done, what (the police) has not done, and why (abuse) is still happening," he said.

Preparations underway

Speaking on the logistics of the inquiry, Dzaiddin said this will be conducted in the Sultan Abdul Samad building in Kuala Lumpur, which formerly housed the federal and appellate courts.

This was also the venue where the inquiry into the 'black eye' incident involving former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim was conducted, he noted.

"Once we get the court room, we hope to start next Monday."

The inquiry will have the power to subpoena witnesses and to admit evidence that is usually inadmissable in civil and criminal courts, he said.

The police have yet to submit their report, including the list of principal witnesses, to the commission.

"As we go along, we can call on other persons because this is within our jurisdiction," he said.

Dzaiddin said the inquiry would not delve into other complaints relating to police strip searches, and emphasised that the inquiry parameters are confined to the single incident that had sparked outrage nationwide.

"They're very careful. If they say in respect of arrest (in general), then they're opening up a pandora's box. You've got to confine to the terms of reference. Everybody will come to make a complaint. We don't want that (to happen)."

The inquiry will determine whether the woman caught on video performing 'ear squats' in the nude was one of five Chinese nationals earlier arrested and detained by police, and whether the alleged incident had occurred in police custody.

It will also determine whether there was any impropriety in the conduct of the strip search of the woman and to establish the standard operating procedures (SOP), rules or regulations governing strip searches of police detainees.

Recommendations would also be made regarding any amendments or modifications required to SOPs and rules or regulations on strip searches of police detainees, he added.