Those with complaints about police misconduct can file a report with the department's higher authorities, said Deputy Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan today.

"If people are not happy with the investigations (on police misconduct), they should contact the higher authorities such as the (state) chief police officer," he told malaysiakini.

He said it was normal procedure for such investigations to be carried out by the state police headquarters.

The deputy police chief was commenting on the widely reported case of a 21-year-old student, Najmi Kamal Amir who was allegedly abused in police custody last week.

He was arrested on suspicion of theft and held at the Klang police station.

On why this case prompted immediate attention, while another alleged police abuse case in Shah Alam involving a 14-year-old youth has hit a brick wall, Musa said the victim and his family should contact him.

The boy, who was arrested on suspicion of petty theft, claimed that he had endured horrendous physical abuse during his detention at the Shah Alam police station in August.

His family have been trying to get the Bukit Aman police headquarters to handle the investigations.

Racial element

Police Watch and Human Rights Committee legal advisor P Uthayakumar felt that an element of racism could exist behind the media coverage.

"When the news on television describes someone being assaulted, chances are he is Malay. But when it involves minorities, such as Chinese and Indians, it is rarely even covered by the press," he said when contacted.

Uthayakumar also reiterated his stand that the government needed to implement the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission , which would have been mandated to deal with cases of police misconduct.

The commission is among the 125 recommendations outlined in the Royal Police Commission's report last year. To date, the police said that they have implemented 65 of the recommendations, although the details are still sketchy.

Meanwhile, prominent media expert Dr Ahmad Murad Merican said the wide coverage of Najmi's allegations in both broadcast and print media is commendable.

"When there are breaches of human rights and victimisation of the people, these cases should be highlighted to increase awareness and pressure the relevant authorities to take action," he said.