PETALING JAYA: A total of seven cases of deaths of people in police custody have been reported since the establishment of USJKT (Criminal Investigation Unit for Deaths in Detention) of the Department of Integrity and Standards Compliance (JIPS) on January 1.
However, all the deaths did not involve criminal elements.
Bukit Aman JIPS director Datuk Azri Ahmad said the number involved four deaths in lock-up while two others died at the hospital.
According to him, another case involved death while the person in police custody was on his way to the hospital.
Through USJKTJIPS, we guarantee that every case of death in PDRM custody or custody will be investigated transparently without compromise.
"Besides that, six cases are classified as sudden deaths to the Deputy Public Prosecutor to get further instructions whether to require an inquest or otherwise," he said in a press conference at the Bukit Aman Police Headquarters here today.
In the meantime, Azri said, PDRM proposed to establish an integrated clinic in each lockup to monitor the health status of the people in police custody to overcome incidents in lockups.
However, he said, the matter was still at the proposal stage as it requires large costs.
"The standard operating procedure for PDRM so far is if there are detainees who have health problems, we will refer them to the nearest hospital," he said.
