Detainees for drug offences should be treated as "patients" and not "criminals", said the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC), following its investigation into the death of James Ramesh Ramasamy.
 
This was among nine suggestions made by the EAIC to the police, which commission head Yaacob Md Sam ( right ) said would help prevent custodial deaths in police detention.
 
"After an arrest, the detainees should be brought to a medical facility for review and treatment before being placed in a ward or a special lock up to allow further treatment by medical officers," Yaacob said in a statement today.
 
Secondly, he said, the police should also ensure that a medical officer inspects the health of all detainees at the beginning of a detention period, as mandated by Rule 10 of the Lock-up Rules 1953.
 
Yaacob also urged the police increase efforts to enforce Section A118 of the Inspector-General of Police's Standing Orders, the District Police Chief Standing Orders and the Lock-up Rules 1953.

No foul play

 
However, he did not state what Section A118 entails, as the Inspector-General of Police's Standing Orders is a classified document under the Official Secrets Act.
 
James Ramesh was found dead in a police detention cell in Penang in May 2013. The police claim that he tested positive for drugs and that there were no injuries on the body.
 
The George Town Coroner's Court later declared James Ramesh's death a misadventure and that there was no criminal element involved.
 
Following this, the EAIC conducted investigations which involved interviewing 32 witnesses, visiting the detention cell, reviewing relevant CCTV footages and attended the inquest.
 
The investigation team concluded that there was no use of physical violence by the police on the deceased during his detention and that the death was caused by "alcoholic liver disease with myocardial fibrosis" due to excessive alcohol and drug use.