PARLIAMENT | Deputy Home Minister Mohd Azis Jamman revealed that the police standard operating procedure for arrests and detentions does not take into account the special needs of persons with disabilities.
As such, Azis said, the police are in the process of reviewing their SOP, following public outcry over the arrest and detention of Ahmad Ziqri Morshidi earlier this year.
The arrest of Ziqri, a 22-year-old man with autism, for alleged molestation resulted in a petition calling for authorities to review their SOP.
"We admit there is a weakness in the police SOP for dealing with cases involving persons with disabilities," Azis told the Dewan Rakyat during Question Time this morning.
Among the measures being considered, he said, is the dedication of a separate room for disabled suspects during the documentation process.
The deputy minister added that as part of the SOP review, the Home Ministry has also sought relevant input from agencies under the Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry.
He was responding to Ramkarpal Singh (Harapan-Bukit Gelugor) who inquired whether the government had plans to draft a specific SOP for the detention of disabled persons.
'Better late than never'
Azis also acknowledged there were legitimate concerns raised over the treatment of disabled suspects, particularly those with mental disabilities, including autism.
At present, he said there were 20,000 people with autism registered under the Welfare Department.
The National Autism Society of Malaysia (Nasom) had estimated the figure to be as high one percent of the country's total population, or about 300,000 people.
"Better late than never," said Azis, when queried further on the Putrajaya's commitment to improve police procedures when dealing with these suspects. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.