Police human rights module a good move, but IPCMC still needed: activists

KUALA LUMPUR – Human rights groups welcomed the introduction of a human rights module for Malaysia’s police force, but cautioned that it still needs strict monitoring to ensure human rights are incorporated into the police force’s standard operating procedures (SOP).

Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy said the move was an important development in the nation’s policing system and hoped that it will be put into practice with sufficient means to monitor the conduct of police personnel.

If the police force has standard operating procedures that aren’t in line with the human rights module, such practices then must change,” he told The Vibes when contacted.

“More importantly, how will the police force monitor and handle any future human rights violations? The police force should have its own checks and balances on this.”

Sevan said it is crucial to have an oversight body to ensure accountability such as the Independent Police Complaints and Misconducts Commissions (IPCMC).

The police force should have no reason to reject the IPCMC, which would be a natural progression from adopting the human rights module created in collaboration with the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, he said.

“When we highlight human rights violations by the police force, it has been said it was merely the conduct of a few bad apples and police should not be painted with one brush.

“Now with the module, we can identify who these bad apples are,” Sevan said.

Aliran president Anil Netto said further details are needed to understand how police will implement the module, which he said may require additional personnel training to cover broader aspects of human rights, besides a methodology to assess the module’s impact on policing and whether it has achieved its goals.

The module could also be expanded to include other security agencies such as the Prison Department to deal with rampant issues such as custodial deaths.

I think the module would give the police force a better picture of human rights and perhaps greater respect for these rights, given it is part of their job,” Anil said.

“With that understanding, it might even free the Attorney-General’s Chambers and judiciary from having to take up cases involving activists, for example.

“So one possible way to measure (the impact of the module) is to look at custodial deaths and look for improvement in the matter after the introduction of the module.” – The Vibes, April 21, 2022