A "revamped" and "beefed up" Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission is a better option than starting a fresh commission like the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission, says Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Paul Low.
A stronger EAIC, Low said, would be able to regulate 18 other agencies, besides the police force, and would be able to hit the ground running and not take time to break-in, such as a fresh IPCMC would have to.
In a statement related to a recent discussion he held with the MIC, several NGOs and with the cabinet on the matter, he said the 'IPCMC' and 'EAIC "are only names".
"(What) really matters is that we arrive at an independent agency that has the resources, clout and scope of influence to do the job effectively, now that the weaknesses of the existing EAIC have been more or less identified."
Low said the cabinet, upon his presentation on June 4, had concluded that empowering the EAIC was a better option for practical reasons.
A stronger EAIC, Low said, would be able to regulate 18 other agencies, besides the police force, and would be able to hit the ground running and not take time to break-in, such as a fresh IPCMC would have to.
In a statement related to a recent discussion he held with the MIC, several NGOs and with the cabinet on the matter, he said the 'IPCMC' and 'EAIC "are only names".
"(What) really matters is that we arrive at an independent agency that has the resources, clout and scope of influence to do the job effectively, now that the weaknesses of the existing EAIC have been more or less identified."
Low said the cabinet, upon his presentation on June 4, had concluded that empowering the EAIC was a better option for practical reasons.
'Cabinet sees extensive revamp as a better option'
"The cabinet more or less concluded that an extensive revamp and enlargement of the powers of the existing EAIC would be a better option than setting up a new IPCMC from scratch, as the latter would involve too much time to get up and running."
He said the three-year-old EAIC had taken two years to settle in due to "teething problems".
He was already initiating consultations with "various parties", Low said, in order to present a comprehensive proposal on the matter to the cabinet "in the near future".
He will also be meeting with some members of the 2006 Royal Commission of Inquiry, which was headed by former chief justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah, next week and will invite other parties, such as the Bar Council and foreign experts, to discuss the matter.
Calling for patience, Low reminded all that even in Hong Kong, it took two decades for the police to "clean up their act with the dedicated efforts of many parties working together".
"The cabinet more or less concluded that an extensive revamp and enlargement of the powers of the existing EAIC would be a better option than setting up a new IPCMC from scratch, as the latter would involve too much time to get up and running."
He said the three-year-old EAIC had taken two years to settle in due to "teething problems".
He was already initiating consultations with "various parties", Low said, in order to present a comprehensive proposal on the matter to the cabinet "in the near future".
He will also be meeting with some members of the 2006 Royal Commission of Inquiry, which was headed by former chief justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah, next week and will invite other parties, such as the Bar Council and foreign experts, to discuss the matter.
Calling for patience, Low reminded all that even in Hong Kong, it took two decades for the police to "clean up their act with the dedicated efforts of many parties working together".
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