Following a scathing criticism from a former chief justice, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar has issued a point-by-point rebuttal in an attempt to set the record straight.

 

He said in a statement today that while much of former chief justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah’s speech on May 28 at a forum in Kuala Lumpur warranted introspection by the police, some parts of the speech was “off the mark”.

 

Among others, he said contrary to Dzaiddin’s ( photo ) claim that the police are indifferent towards the rule of law and human rights, they have, in fact, included a basic understanding of human rights and the Federal Constitution’s fundamental liberties as part of their training modules.

 

These are further strengthened by lectures provided by the Suhakam and the International Islamic University.

 

“It is also worth to note that Suhakam has audited our training modules on this subject and the University of Derby has also approved the module to be worthy of accreditation,” said Khalid.

He added that by and large, the police views itself as merely an enforcer of the law and is subject to the same laws, although there is a ‘miniscule’ black sheep in the force who flout the rules.

 

In addition, he said the police had taken various steps to keep abuses of power in check, namely to form the Department of Integrity and Standard Compliance, and subject itself to continued monitoring by its own disciplinary branch.

 

“Therefore, the generalisation made that we are ‘an institution that seems to think itself as above the law’ is uncalled for”, he said.

 

Dzaiddin, who retired in 2003, is best known for chairing the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Police Reform, which mooted the idea of forming the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

 

The Star quoted him lamenting that he would not see the police change during his lifetime.

 

Out of 51 deaths, only one ‘police-linked’

A consultant with a law firm since 2004, Dzaidding said this in his speech at a forum organised by the Bar Council and the National Human Rights Society (Hakam).

 

"It would be irresponsible of me to say that a radical shift in the police culture can be achieved in my lifetime. No, it is a mammoth task that will require efforts from the government and civilian organisations," he said in the news report.

 

Meanwhile, on the issue of death in police custody, the former judge was said to have attributed this to the officers turning a blind eye to police violence.

 

However, Khalid denied this saying that from 2010 to 2014, there were a total of 51 investigations on death in custody cases.

 

Of these, four police personnel had been charged in court for one case – for causing the death of N Dharmendran in 2013, who had turned up in the hospital morgue with bruises and a staple in his ear. The four were acquitted in December last year.

 

Khalid also enclosed a breakdown of the causes of death in these 51 cases according to pathologist’s reports, which showed the death in 2013 as the only “police-linked” death between 2010 and 2014.

 

Oout of 51 cases, the majority (33 cases) are due to medical conditions other than a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or heart attack, while eight had committed suicide by hanging.

 

One detainee died of HIV, while another eight died of heart attack.

 

'Nothing more than to protect and serve'

For comparison, according to Suhakam’s annual report released last month, there had been 242 deaths in police custody from 2000 up to February 2014, of which two cases have been attributed to foul play by the police.

 

The commission said the majority of cases were due to health reasons such as asthma, HIV/AIDS, and heart attacks, while other causes of death include suicide, falls, and fights among detainees.

However, critics say that even if detainees died due to natural causes, the police cannot escape from being responsible for giving detainees access to medical help when required.

 

Khalid ( photo ) asserted that the police and the community are on the same page in upholding civil liberties and fostering trust, but criticisms that the police are lacking in integrity is tantamount to profiling that could stigmatise the police.

 

"While some officers abuse their power, the majority are ‘good cops’.

"For every officer who brings harm on someone or violates the public’s trust, there are countless others who follow the rules and who want nothing more than to protect, serve, and return home safely at the end of their shift.

 

"There are many good policemen out there who have and are willing to give their lives for the nation,” he said.