Stop delaying debate on IPCC Bill, MP tells govt

 

Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran has urged the government to stop delaying debates on the Independent Police Conduct Commission Bill 2020 (IPCC) to future Parliament sittings.

Kulasegaran in a statement said he had in the Dewan Rakyat session that ended on Thursday pointed out how the bill was listed in the Parliament's Order Paper for two years but not debated.

"The government keeps delaying and pushing it to future Parliament sittings. This has been done many times.

"This is a major concern to the public," he stressed.

Kulasegaran said there have been many reported cases of alleged police misconduct but yet the government does not have the will to debate the proposed bill.

Custodial deaths

He further cited Suhakam's findings that there were at least 34 deaths in police custody in 2020, while recent reports have already indicated there were at least 13 custodial deaths this year.

"The bill must be a strong one. Strong enough to serve as a check and balance to the police force.

"We share the belief that 99 percent of the police force is competent and do their work diligently.

"We however cannot have even a single police personnel acting out of order because of the duty they play in society," he said.

The IPCC bill replaces the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) bill tabled by the Pakatan Harapan government last year.

A comparison showed that the IPCC bill has been significantly watered down from the previous IPCMC bill.

One key difference is that the IPCC will not be able to take any action against errant police officers. Instead, action must be referred to the Police Force Commission or other relevant authorities for further action. - Mkini