The controversial amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act (PCA) are not a tool to replace the repealed Internal Security Act (ISA) or to intimidate the opposition and civil society, said Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Despite widespread criticism of the amendments tabled this week, he stressed the fundamental purpose is to combat crime to ensure public safety.

"As you can see, an amendment is removing the power from the minister to avoid abuse," he said in his speech before launching a crime prevention forum in Putrajaya today.

With the move, he said, the government was committed to empowering a three-member board led either by a Federal Court judge, a Court of Appeal judge or a High Court judge.

The board holds the power to issue detention orders and supervision orders to those registered under offences named in the Act.

"The government doesn't want to be accused of abusing power. We will not take action against political dissent and people from the civil society," he said.

Earlier, the police had  claimed that this has led to the rise in violent and organised crime, for lack of  sufficient power to detain suspects.

PCA amendments sparked wide debate, especially on the detention without trial segment much criticised as a  feature of the Emergency Ordinance (EO) and Internal Security Act (ISA), both of which had been repealed.

The Home Ministry and the police have since claimed that this has led to the jump in violent and organised crime.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has condemned Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s broken promises of “national reconciliation” following the proposed amendments to several crime-related pieces of legislation.