HE'S ALREADY DEAD! We don’t want to jump the gun in Dharmendran case - cops

The four CID personnel under probe over the custodial death of N. Dharmendran were re-assigned desk jobs and not held as murder suspects as investigations have yet to determine who is responsible for the death of the detainee, said police.

Kuala Lumpur deputy police chief SAC Datuk Amar Singh Ishar Singh said today the investigations have yet to be completed.

"We do not know who caused the death. We will be jumping the gun if we arrest and hold the police personnel as murder suspects when nobody knows for now who did it.

"The investigating team from Bukit Aman is carrying out a thorough probe; let us wait for the outcome and not jump the gun," he told theSun.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department P. Waythamoorthy today called for the detention of the personnel in question as the case has been classified as murder.

"Murder is a non-bailable offence, and the suspected police officers should be suspended and held in remand until the investigations are over," he said in a statement.

In a related development, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Paul Low rejected calls for the setting up of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) as there is already an existing body to handle such matters.

Low said any complaint against the police can be channelled to the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC), which will investigate them and recommend further action.

However, Low, who is in charge of good governance, integrity and human rights, conceded that EAIC has no enforcement powers and it is up to the relevant agencies to take action.

Former Chief Justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad last week reportedly questioned EAIC's capabilities in handling complaints received, noting that only one disciplinary action has been taken since its establishment in April 2011.

Low also urged police to take heed of criticisms of the integrity of the force, including potential conflict of interest posed by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar heading a committee to prevent deaths in police custody.

The committee was set up in response to recent deaths in police custody, the latest being Dharmendran.

- theSun