[:en]Scepticism greets plan for police panel[:]

[:en]Critics say an independent inquiry is necessary to ensure a fair investigation into protest clashes
The police watchdog’s plan to set up a special panel to look into the clashes during the extradition bill
protests has been met with scepticism, with critics sayingan independent inquiry is necessary to ensure a fair and
comprehensive investigation.
Critics yesterday said they had no faith in the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) because it was made
of up many pro-government or conservative figures, and was not as independent as its name suggests.
They said the council also would lack the power to summon witnesses, unlike an independent inquiry, often chaired
by a judge, which is within the legal power of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to launch.
“The government has kept saying there is an established mechanism that handles complaints against the police, and
that it has been working well. But you need to look at who are the members of the IPCC now,” said lawmaker Kenneth
Leung, formerly an IPCC member from 2010 to 2016.
He said the government used to allow liberal members in the IPCC, such as legal academic Eric Cheung Tat-ming,
but not any more.
Yesterday, the IPCC confirmed its chairman, Anthony Neoh, had recommended to members of the watchdog that a
“study” be undertaken into the clashes.
“As internal consultations are still taking place, and the website is being revamped to facilitate the proposed
study, the IPCC aims to give a full account of what it proposes to do in the near future,” the IPCC said in a
statement.
Tony Tse Wai-chuen, an IPCC vice-chairman, backed the creation of a special panel under the watchdog, and hoped
it could be formed as soon as possible.
Earlier this month, the police fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and beanbag rounds at protesters opposed to the
extradition bill.
On Wednesday, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, and Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu, shrugged off
calls by British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, as well as local religious and political leaders, to set up an
official inquiry into the confrontations on June 12.
Cheung said the IPCC, a statutory body, was already a “well-tried” mechanism for handling complaints against the
police.
The watchdog has often been criticised as a toothless tiger because its power is limited. It is tasked to review
investigation reports from the Complaints Against Police Office, a police division, before agreeing, disagreeing
or rejecting the reports.
But a source said the IPCC would now make use of a section under the Independent Police Complaints Council Ordinance to set up the panel that gives it more power.
Under that section, one function of the watchdog is to “identify any fault or deficiency in any practice or
procedure adopted by the police force that has led to or might lead to reportable complaints”. Another function is
to make recommendations to the police commissioner and the city’s leader.
In 2011, the watchdog used the section to investigate the police’s security arrangements during then vice-premier
Li Keqiang’s visit to Hong Kong. In a 63-page report, it called on the force to review its security measures to
ensure a balance between security requirements and the rights of the citizens.
In 2009, the IPCC also used the section of the law to examine the police’s action of stopping five vehicles to
form a roadblock to stop illegal racing cars.
But Leung said an independent inquiry was important because it could look at not just the clashes between
officers and the protesters, but the overall police planning and how the force communicated with protest
organisers.
A statement by eight former political appointees, including former labour and welfare minister Stephen Sui Waikeung,
also called for an independent inquiry, to be chaired by a senior judge.[:]