Sunday, April 17, 2016

'Sexual Assault' of teens in Custody by police in Malaysia?

Shameful - allegation of sexual assault by police officer on teens in police custody in Malaysia. There really must be great reforms in the police force - these are the very people who we depend on to 'protect and serve' - and, as such, we need to now clean up our police force of persons therein who break the law - be it, those who commit torture, kill people, accept bribes and/or sexually assault detainees, and also those who help 'cover-up crimes by fellow officers.' 

There are good police officers, but alas the few 'dirty' cops can tarnish the entire police force - and, we need to do the needful to restore public confidence..

CCTV - well, in the past, the problem was that these CCTV did not have recording capacity, and it is good that now that it has recording capacity. In a previous, death in custody inquest that I was involved in, I was shocked to be informed that although there was CCTV coverage of the lockup where the detainee died, unfortunately, there was no 'recording capacity' - and as such the coroner and the court could not review the records and determine what really happened. Well, hopefully now the new RM3.5 million CCTV system overcomes this problem because there are video records..

Now, wrongdoings can happen any place in the police station - as such these CCTV with recording capabilities should not just be confined to lock-ups but to all over the police station. In fact, maybe it is time to even require police officers carrying out their duties to be also monitored by CCTV - this would certainly reduce crimes by police officers and improve the image of the Malaysian police force. 

Now, the other problem is the question of who do you complain to when it comes to crimes committed by police officers - certainly complaining to the police themselves is something many are afraid to do. Would the police act against a fellow police officer? We really need an Independent body to deal with complaints against police officers.

Recently, our Home Minister disclosed that from 2010 to 2015, there were 3,677 cases of police had committed crimes, - what crimes not very clear? Who investigated? The made the determination of 'NFA' - the police themselves? Anyway, there really need to be reforms in this area... and maybe we really need stickers all around the police station, on police vehicles with information as to where we could make complaints against the police...
No action was taken against almost two-thirds of police personnel investigated for involvement in crime for the last five years.Of the 3,677 cases investigated from 2010 to 2015, 2,312 cases were marked as 'No Further Action' (NFA), Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in a written parliamentary reply today. He said 521 police personnel have been charged while 844 cases are still under probe. - see more at Police committing crimes - almost 2/3 (or 2,312 cases) classified NFA(No Further Action)?
And maybe also an assurance that actions will not be taken against those who lodge complaints ... 

I am also very concerned as to what is happening with the Syed Mohd Azlan's case -Police officers that tortured and killed detainee - what will the AG and the Malaysian government do? 

That was a very embarrassing case for the Malaysian police, as there was also police officers involved in 'covering up' the said 'crime' of killing a detainee.  Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) came up with their findings in October 2015 - but still we do not know whether anything is happening - and, this case is most important, because we will also be looking at what happens to those who helped cover-up this alleged crime...
“There was an element of crime in the attacks involving common intent or abetment by PDRM officers, including the arresting team, to intentionally use physical violence on the deceased to cause death or injury,” the EAIC said in a statement today. It added that the action was a criminal offence, specifically under Section 302 and 325 of the Penal Code read with Section 34 of the same Act. Section 302 pertains to murder while Section 325 involves voluntarily causing grievous bodily harm; Section 34 deals with voluntarily causing hurt. The EAIC then recommended that the Attorney-General’s Chambers to prosecute the officers involved for the crimes identified in the agency’s investigations.
 


Cop in lockup sex assaults of teens arrested 
By G. Prakash and Praven Suppayah
Tuesday April 12, 2016
07:54 AM GMT+8



The alleged sexual assault happened outside the cell where the teenagers had been held on suspicion of being involved in a brawl at a Wangsa Maju school on Thursday. — AFP pic 

The alleged sexual assault happened outside the cell where the teenagers had been held on suspicion of being involved in a brawl at a Wangsa Maju school on Thursday. — AFP pic  

PETALING JAYA, April 12 — A policeman has blown the lid off the highly-secured surveillance of detainees at the Jinjang Centralised lockup centre following alleged sexual attacks on three teenagers on Sunday.

The boys told police the corporal, in his early 30s, had performed oral sex on one of them while the others were forced to masturbate earlier in front of him.

The incidents happened outside the cell where the teenagers had been held on suspicion of being involved in a brawl at a Wangsa Maju school on Thursday.

The suspect who is married with children apparently took a 15-year-old teenager out of a cell and ordered him to sweep the floor along the corridor.

A police source said the suspect then offered the teenager a cigarette and told him he could smoke at a nearby corridor.

“The suspect then approached the boy and grabbed his private parts before performing oral sex on him.”

The source said the policeman took the boy back to his cell after taking his contact number.

“The suspect told the victim that he would contact him after he was released from the lockup and that traumatised the victim,” he said.

The teenager then related what had transpired to his friends, aged 14 and 16, who told him that they were forced to masturbate in front of the suspect hours earlier.

The boys then related the incident to the officer investigating the brawl and later lodged a report at the police station on his advice.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Amar Singh said police arrested the suspect yesterday.

He said police had obtained the CCTV recording of the incident “which would definitely have captured the suspect’s movements in and around the cell.”

He said the victims and suspect would be taken for a medical examination.

The incident has exposed the weaknesses and disregard of standard operating procedure at what was supposed to be one of the safest detention centres in the country.

The Jinjang lockup has Self-Monitoring Analytics Reporting Technology (SMART),  an intelligent security camera control system that can detect suspicious behaviour by inmates and police on duty.

The RM3.5 million system, developed by the Malaysia Institute of Microelectronic Systems (MIMOS), was implemented in a pioneer project at the Jinjang Centralised Lockup Centre.

The CCTVs help police monitor sexual attacks on detainees, attempted suicide, fights and escape attempt. The behaviour of police personnel on duty will also be on the radar.

Bukit Aman Management Department Director Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah, who launched the SMART lockup on February 3, when contacted, said he will await the  findings by city police before making a decision whether a system review was necessary.

“However, if there has been a breach of standard operating procedure in the lockup that allowed this alleged incident to occur, those involved, including the lockup supervisor,  will be held accountable,” he said. - Malay Mail, 12/4/2016

CCTV to help prove sexual assault of three teens by cop

FMT Reporters
 | April 12, 2016 
The SMART system at the Jinjang Centralised Lockup Centre will likely show movements of the suspect in and around the cell.

Zulkifli-Abdullah,smart

PETALING JAYA: A RM3.5 million surveillance system at the Jinjang Centralised lockup centre is likely to help prove the case that a corporal sexually assaulted three teenagers who were detained there.

The Self-Monitoring Analytics Reporting Technology, also known as SMART, is an intelligent security camera control system developed by the Malaysia Institute of Microelectronic Systems (Mimos) and was implemented as a pioneer project at the Jinjang lockup centre, a report in Malay Mail Online said.

Footage derived from the SMART system will now be used to ascertain if a corporal in his early 30s, had indeed performed oral sex on one of the boys while forcing the other two to masturbate in his presence.

According to the news report, the incidents took place outside the cell the boys were detained in, after they had been picked up by police on suspicion of being involved in a brawl at a school in Wangsa Maju last Thursday.

A police source said the suspect offered one of the boys a cigarette and when the victim walked to a corridor nearby to smoke it as instructed, the corporal grabbed his private parts and performed oral sex on him.

“The suspect told the victim that he would contact him after he was released from the lockup and that traumatised the victim,” the source added.

The three decided to report the abuse to the officer investigating the brawl and later lodged a police report at the station.

The source said he was confident the CCTV recording “would definitely have captured the suspect’s movements in and around the cell.”

Bukit Aman Management Department Director Zulkifli Abdullah said he will await the findings of city police before making a decision on whether a review of the standard operating procedures at lockup centres was necessary.

“However, if there has been a breach of standard operating procedure in the lockup that allowed this alleged incident to occur, those involved, including the lockup supervisor, will be held accountable,” the news portal quoted him as saying. - FMT News, 12/4/2016

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