Displaying items by tag: police conduct

On 24 November we praised the district election results which swept aside ­pro-establishment candidates and installed democratic majorities in 17 out of 18 districts, a stunning reversal attributed to the months of protests and voters’ deep dissatisfaction with the government. But now, three weeks later, prayer is still needed for a commission of inquiry into allegations of police brutality. Chief executive Carrie Lam is in no haste to satisfy any of the demands, which she has repeatedly dismissed as unrealistic. Several opinion polls indicate that most Hong Kong citizens support an independent inquiry, but she insists on leaving all ­questions about police conduct during the protests to an independent police complaints council. Beijing is in no rush to fix the problem, stating that Hong Kong will always be a part of China, and urges them to be more like their Macau counterparts in making the ‘one country, two systems’ principle work. Commentators warn of an even bigger political crisis if deep-rooted grievances are not addressed.

Allegations of ‘serious corruption and malpractice’ within the Metropolitan Police are being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Gross misconduct notices were served on three officers, one of whom is also under criminal investigation, and ‘a number’ of others are being assessed. Investigations are at an early stage and may involve as many as 14 officers, including senior officers who interfered with or curtailed investigations and failed to investigate allegations of wrongdoing. There is also alleged systemic removal of the restrictions of officers under investigation and racial discrimination. According to the Sunday Times, three whistleblowers from the Met told the IOPC that members of the Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) were shielding officers from a range of allegations. Files have been shredded in the past when allegations of corruption were made, making it hard to prove there was sleaze, bribery or fraud.