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WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 1989
POLICE COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE'S REPORT FOR 1988
THE POLICE COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE HAS RELEASED ITS ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1988. THE COMMITTEE WAS SET UP IN EARLY 1986 TO TAKE OVER THE WORK PREVIOUSLY UNDERTAKEN BY THE FORMER UMELCO POLICE GROUP. IT OVERSEES THE HANDLING BY THE POLICE OF COMPLAINTS BY THE PUBLIC.
TABLING THE REPORT IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY) IN HIS CAPACITY AS CHAIRMAN OF THE POLICE COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE, DR THE HON DANIEL TSE SAID THAT DURING THE YEAR 1988, THE COMMITTEE HAD REVIEWED AND ENDORSED 3,516 COMPLAINT CASES, EMBRACING 5,451 ALLEGATIONS, PROCESSED BY THE COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE POLICE OFFICE (CAPO) OF THE ROYAL HONG KONG POLICE FORCE.
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THE REPORT STATES THAT THE LARGEST SINGLE SUBJECT OF COMPLAINT WAS ABOUT OVERBEARING, IMPOLITE CONDUCT OR ABUSIVE LANGUAGE OF POLICE OFFICERS (25 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ALLEGATIONS). THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY ASSAULT (23.7 PER CENT), NEGLECT OF DUTY OR IMPROPER ACTION (22 .1 PER CENT), UNNECESSARY USE OF AUTHORITY (14.2 PER CENT) AND FABRICATION OF EVIDENCE (8.7 PER CENT).
IN ADDITION, THE REPORT STATES THAT AS A RESULT OF INVESTIGATIONS INTO COMPLAINTS CARRIED OUT BY OR ON BEHALF OF THE CAPO AND MONITORED BY THE COMMITTEE, APPROPRIATE LEGAL PROCEEDINGS, DISCIPLINARY OR INTERNAL ACTIONS WERE TAKEN AGAINST 1,210 POLICE OFFICERS DURING THE YEAR 1988.
HOWEVER, THE REPORT POINTS OUT THAT THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC COMPLAINTS SHOULD BE SEEN IN THE LIGHT OF THE DIFFICULT FRONT-LINE NATURE OF POLICE WORK. THEY SHOULD ALSO BE SEEN IN THE CONTEXT OF THE 3.3 MILLION POTENTIAL POLICE-PUBLIC CONFRONTATIONS DURING THE YEAR. (THESE INCLUDED 1.9 MILLION PERSONS STOPPED AND CHECKED THROUGH THE POLICE OPERATIONAL NOMINAL INDEX COMPUTER SYSTEM (PONICS) AND 1.4 MILLION TRAFFIC SUMMONSES AND TICKETS ISSUED).
DR TSE ALSO SAID THAT THE COMMITTEE, THROUGH THE SUPPORT OF AN INDEPENDENT SECRETARIAT, HAD BEEN ABLE TO VET IN DETAIL EACH AND EVERY COMPLAINT CASE PROCESSED BY THE CAPO. IN REVIEWING THE COMPLAINT CASES, THE COMMITTEE HAD ALSO PROPOSED A NUMBER OF REVIEWS
AND CHANGES TO, POLICE PRACTICES, PROCEDURES AND INSTRUCTIONS, WITH A VIEW ΤΟ IMPROVING UPON THE OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COMPLAINTS AND ASSISTING THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE IN MINIMISING COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE POLICE. SOME OF THE STUDIES AND CHANGES INITIATED BY THE COMMITTEE WERE:
OF,
SYSTEM PUBLIC
(A) THE REFINEMENT OF MEDICAL REPORT FORMS FOR COMPLAINT CASES
CONCERNING ASSAULT:
(B)
A REVIEW OF THE RELEVANT POLICE GENERAL ORDERS ON HANDCUFFING LEADING TO THE RE-BRIEFING OF POLICE OFFICERS ON THE APPROPRIATE USE OF HANDCUFFS;
(c) TO FACILITATE
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