Strip searches: Guidelines needed, admits deputy IGP
Fauwaz Abdul AzizPublished: Dec 14, 2005 1:33 PM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
Deputy inspector-general of police Musa Hassan has conceded that more specific guidelines need to be drawn up in respect of strip searches of detainees by police.
Deputy inspector-general of police Musa Hassan has conceded that more specific guidelines need to be drawn up in respect of strip searches of detainees by police.
Testifying before the independent commission probing the nude ear squat video scandal, Musa said that currently no provisions exist that govern ear squats, either in the Inspector-General's Standing Orders (IGSO) or the standing orders of district police chiefs.
The deputy police chief said guidelines on body searches could be proposed when the IGSO is reviewed by a committee chaired by the director of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). "That's why we do the review,"he said.
Much of Musa's testimony was in defence of ear squats. The 16th witness on the third day of the inquiry, he said ear squats was a practice within and outside the country which had proven to be effective.
"It prevents any prohibited items from being brought into the lock-up such as drugs and dangerous weapons that can bring harm to other detainees and sentries of the lock-up," he said.
He said that body searches and ear squats were done 'with respect' in that the police personnel conducting it cannot abuse the detainee with no body contact allowed.
Asked whether the IGSO conformed to the United Nations Proclamation on the Basic Principles to the Treatment of Prisoners, Musa replied 'yes'.
Not for libido
Musa also admitted there were factors to consider when nude ear squats are ordered of a detainee, such as religious teachings against the display of private parts even to members of the same gender.
However, the safety and security of detainees and police officers at a lock-up are among the predominant concerns of the police, he said. "It involves the safety of people in the lock-up. Our objective is not to raise anybody's libido," he said.
He also said that strip searches and ear squats are not ordered of a detainee in an arbitrary manner but are based on the recommendations of the case officer.
"There will be a case officer who will inform the sentry... whether it's a case of drugs or something serious that needs more attention. The case officer will brief the sentry," he said.
Musa said that disciplinary action could be taken against lock-up officers if a detainee is later found to have a prohibited item on his person.
Testifying before the independent commission probing the nude ear squat video scandal, Musa said that currently no provisions exist that govern ear squats, either in the Inspector-General's Standing Orders (IGSO) or the standing orders of district police chiefs. The deputy police chief said guidelines on body searches could be proposed when the IGSO is reviewed by a committee chaired by the director of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). "That's why we do the review,"he said.
Much of Musa's testimony was in defence of ear squats. The 16th witness on the third day of the inquiry, he said ear squats was a practice within and outside the country which had proven to be effective.
"It prevents any prohibited items from being brought into the lock-up such as drugs and dangerous weapons that can bring harm to other detainees and sentries of the lock-up," he said.
He said that body searches and ear squats were done 'with respect' in that the police personnel conducting it cannot abuse the detainee with no body contact allowed.
Asked whether the IGSO conformed to the United Nations Proclamation on the Basic Principles to the Treatment of Prisoners, Musa replied 'yes'.
Not for libido
Musa also admitted there were factors to consider when nude ear squats are ordered of a detainee, such as religious teachings against the display of private parts even to members of the same gender.
However, the safety and security of detainees and police officers at a lock-up are among the predominant concerns of the police, he said. "It involves the safety of people in the lock-up. Our objective is not to raise anybody's libido," he said.
He also said that strip searches and ear squats are not ordered of a detainee in an arbitrary manner but are based on the recommendations of the case officer.
"There will be a case officer who will inform the sentry... whether it's a case of drugs or something serious that needs more attention. The case officer will brief the sentry," he said.
Musa said that disciplinary action could be taken against lock-up officers if a detainee is later found to have a prohibited item on his person.
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