XN000022-1988-07-20 — Page 11

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 1988

9

AGAINST

HE NOTED THAT THE COMPLAINTS

POLICE

OFFICE (CAPO)

DID NOT ENJOY THE CONFIDENCE OF THE PUBLIC BECAUSE INVESTIGATIONS WERE DONE BY POLICE OFFICERS WHO WERE SEEN BY THE PUBLIC TO BE TAKING SIDES WITH THE POLICEMAN UNDER COMPLAINT; COMPILED BY POLICE OFFICERS; AND BECAUSE CAPO OFFICERS WHO WOULD ULTIMATELY RETURN TO THEIR WITHIN THE POLICE FORCE.

BECAUSE REPORTS WERE WAS MANNED BY POLICE ORIGINAL OR OTHER UNITS

HE SAID THAT AS A RESULT, "JUSTICE IS MANIFESTLY NOT SEEN ΤΟ BE DONE",

COMMENTING ON THE ARGUMENT THAT THE C FOR AC WOULD NOT HAVE ENOUGH EXPERTISE TO INVESTIGATE COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE POLICE AND THE ICAC, MR LEE SAID INVESTIGATORS WOULD HAVE TO BE ENGAGED AND TRAINED AS IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE ICAC.

MR LEE DID NOT THINK THE C FOR AC COULD DO MUCH AS A MEMBER OF THE POLICE COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE AS PROPOSED BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY, BECAUSE HIS "EXPERTISE" COULD NOT HELP HIM ENSURE THAT CAPO WOULD DO A GOOD JOB IN RELATION TO, FOR EXAMPLE, THE TAKING OF STATEMENTS FROM POLICEMEN COMPLAINED OF, OR THAT CAPO HAD CARRIED OUT ITS DUTIES

CONSCIENTIOUSLY,

OUT

MR LEE SAID THAT SINCE THE POLICE FORCE RECEIVED THE GREATEST NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FROM THE PUBLIC, IT WAS ESSENTIAL THAT THERE WAS A VERY EFFECTIVE COMPLAINTS SYSTEM DEALING WITH THESE COMPLAINTS, SO THAT THE PUBLIC COULD HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE POLICE AND CO-OPERATE WITH THEM IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME.

MR LEE STRESSED THAT INDEPENDNCE OF THE C FOR AC FROM THE GOVERNMENT WAS ABSOLUTELY VITAL.

WRONG IN PRINCIPLE FOR OFFICERS ΤΟ BE SECONDED FROM OTHER GOVERNMENT

IT WOULD THEREFORE BE ASSISTING THE COMMISSIONER DEPARTMENTS, HE MAINTAINED.

IN ORDER TO ATTRACT SUITABLE CANDIDATES TO JOIN THE OFFICE, HE PROPOSED THAT THEY COULD BE PAID MORE THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.

+

MR LEE WAS ALSO CRITICAL OF THE REFERRAL SYSTEM WHEREBY COMPLAINTS WERE ONLY CHANNELLED TO THE C FOR AC BY INDIVIDUAL NON-GOVERNMENT MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND LEGCO FOR THIS PLACED AN UNDULY HEAVY BURDEN ON MEMBERS, WHO WERE NOT FULL TIME POLITICIANS, AND AS A RESULT AFFECTED THEIR PERFORMANCE AS SUPERVISORS.

AC AS WELL AS

"IN THAT EVENT, THE PUBLIC IMAGE OF THE C FOR OMELCO AS A WHOLE WOULD BE TARNISHED, HE SAID.

HE SUGGESTED ALL COMPLAINTS SHOULD GO DIRECTLY TO THE C FOR AC, WHOSE STAFF WOULD SCREEN THEM AND REFER ALL COMPLAINTS ON POLICY TO THE OMELCO COMPLAINTS DIVISION WHILE RETAINING THOSE WHICH RELATED TO MALADMINISTRATION AS DEFINED UNDER THE BILL.

SCREENING, WHICH WAS CONSIDERED BY MR LEE AS A NECESSITY, COULD EITHER BE DONE BY THE STAFF OF THE C FOR AC OR THE STAFF OF OMELCO, THOUGH PREFERABLY BY THE FORMER.

/10