The award of RM200,000 by the Ipoh High Court today to the family of a victim in a police shooting case was hailed by a DAP leader as “laudable even though it’s meagre”.

M Kulasegaran, the party’s MP for Ipoh Barat who appeared as counsel for the plaintiffs in the case of the shooting of Chen Fun Kee in Ipoh on Sept 16, 2009 by a police officer, said the judge had recognised that the police owed a duty of care to members of the public.

Chen was shot and killed by police officer Mohd Taufik Peter Abdullah on the day.

His wife Leong Seok Cheng and only child, Chen Ming, sued the police force and government for damages and loss of support suffered on account of Chen’s death by shooting. Lawyer N Selvam appeared with Kulasegaran as counsel for the family.

Kulasegaran said the quantum of damages awarded by the court could not compensate for the loss of Chen’s life and the support as provider to his wife and only offspring.

“Nevertheless, the award was laudable for its recognition of a duty of care owed by the police to members of the public when their personnel handle firearms in the course of their duty.

“The case is a wake-up call for the home minister to put his house in order,” said Kulasegaran in remarks made after judgment was delivered in the case.

The federal legislator said that though the case was not related to the matter of custodial deaths, whose incidence is regarded by human rights activists in the country as unwarrantedly high, the Ipoh High Court’s decision in the Chen case would “serve as a cautionary episode for the police in the exercise of their duties.”

“I hope the damages awarded, though meagre in relation to the losses suffered by the victim’s family, would act as a check on overzealousness in the exercise of duty by members of the police force,” he commented.