Faulty Lock Up Cctv A Flimsy Excuse

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Public confidence in the police is at an all-time low, and the IGP needs to do much more to improve the force’s performance. If money is lacking, he should press the home or finance minister for more funds.
In Budget 2021, the government set aside RM17 billion for the home ministry to beef up national security and to improve the level of safety and public order. How much will the police receive from this allocation? How much will the IGP use for CCTVs?
In 2019, the late Pakatan Harapan minister for law, Liew Vui Keong, announced an allocation of RM73 million for all lock-ups in Malaysia to be equipped with CCTVs. Has the CCTV directive been acted upon?
Malaysians are sick of reading about faulty or missing CCTVs in police and MACC lock-ups and wonder if these excuses are used to hide incriminating evidence of brutality by the authorities.
What is the point of having surveillance cameras which do not work? What is the point of commissioning CCTVs which are not fit for the purpose?
In many cases of death in police custody, we are told that the CCTV was malfunctioning, or it was not pointing in the right direction. These are flimsy excuses.
People have died from being beaten up in the police cells, or raped or committed suicide. How many more tragedies will it take before police show more responsibility and commitment to serve the public? Didn’t they swear an oath to protect the community and uphold the constitution?
On Jan 8, a 16-year-old girl was allegedly raped by an underage offender while in police custody at the Miri central police station in Sarawak. She had been detained for involvement in illegal gambling activities.
Why was she kept in the police lock-up and not at a young offender’s detention centre? Don’t we have laws specifically for juveniles?
The female cell was locked and separated from the cell which held about 12 male detainees, but in her police report after the alleged incident, she claimed that the male cell had not been locked.
Between 4am and 5am on the day of her arrest, she alleged, the youth had obtained the keys to her cell, then raped her in the toilet.
What happened to the policemen guarding the cells? Was the entire block not manned? How did the alleged perpetrator get hold of the keys to her cell? Were the guards complicit in the crime? Is the alleged rapist linked to the underworld? Is he the son of any person of influence?
Two cops were suspended, but the day after the rape was reported in the media, the Sarawak police commissioner, Aidi Ismail, said footage of the alleged incident was not available. Aidi, who ordered an internal investigation, said the CCTV camera did not have a recording function and the camera could only be monitored by the policemen on duty.
A shake-up of the system is needed if people who are thrown in a police cell are not protected.
Teoh Beng Hock and Ahmad Sarbani died after being detained at the MACC premises. A Kugan, N Dharmendran, S Balamurugan and Lance-Corporal Velentino Mesa are some of the people who died at police stations. We have read about alleged rapes by police personnel in police stations. Don’t the victims and their families deserve justice?
The faulty CCTV excuse is pathetic and the police top brass should stop using such excuses to hide police incompetence and irresponsibility. - FMT
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

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