Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has defended the purple lock-up uniforms of criminal detainees who are remanded to facilitate police probes.

In a parliamentary reply dated Nov 8, Zahid said the detainees' uniforms were designed to ensure that they were appropriately dressed.

"The special uniform for the detainees when they are kept at the police lock-up was designed to ensure they are given proper clothes that are according to standard, are not detrimental to them, and do not endanger them during their arrest," he said.

The minister was responding to N Surendran (PKR-Padang Serai), who asked whether the police or the MACC planned to cease their practice of having remanded detainees wear purple and orange lock-up uniforms respectively.

Zahid (photo) stressed that the inspector-general of police has the power to determine the colour of the uniform according to Section 97 of the Police Act, which grants the top cop power to issue a “permanent order” or an administration instruction for the police force.

According to Zahid, the IGP issued a detailed lock-up management and lock-up uniform permanent order under the provision in 2009.

“In line with these requirements, IGP’s Standing Order A118 and Administrative Order No 16 dated Sept 2, 2009 had been issued to detail the management of lockups and clothing (to be worn) during detention,” Zahid said.

Surendran had previously accused the police and MACC of breaching their own standard operating procedures on lock-up uniforms.

The Enforcement Agencies Integrity Commission (EAIC) chairperson Yaacob Md Sam had previously reprimanded police officers in public hearings, after they pleaded ignorance over a 2014 directive stating that detainees are to wear their own clothes when brought to remand hearings, unless the clothes are being kept as evidence.

"This so that the detainee can immediately go home after the hearing if they are released, instead of going back to the police station," Yaacob said during one such public hearing on June 5.