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Anonymous allegations of abuses in prisons refuted
The Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Raymond Lai Ming-kee, said today (Friday) that the Correctional Services Department (CSD) could only be more forthcoming with details of the recent attacks on penal institutions once the police investigation is concluded.
Speaking to reporters after a passing-out parade in which 136 officers graduated from CSD, Mr Lai said the department would remained on high alert following the attacks.
"The police investigation is still ongoing and we are continuing to assist them in their enquiries through intelligence sharing.
"I cannot comment either on the current progress of the investigation, or whether any of the rumours published in the press recently are true," said Mr Lai.
The Commissioner noted that in the past two weeks, a number of allegations had been made by anonymous persons to the press about what they considered to be abuses.
On the use of sedatives, Mr Lai said they were administered at the direction of the Medical Officer seconded from the Department of Health or the psychiatrist seconded from the Hospital Authority.
"The role of CSD staff who are trained in nursing duties, including psychiatric nursing duties at Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre, is to present the patient and his condition to the doctor, record immediately the course of action prescribed by the doctor and, if appropriate, administer any medication in accordance with instructions given by the doctor.
"This sequence of events is identical to that which would occur in a hospital or a clinic and is a matter of medical, not correctional practice," Mr Lai said.
The Commissioner said he was also aware of the allegations, again made by anonymous persons, concerning the alleged unfairness of complaints procedure.
"As is often the case with anonymous complainants, there is no way of verifying the details of what they say. However, in the case of 'Gary' whose claims appeared in a leading newspaper, he was such a well-known character that his identity was instantly recognisable by us.