Police have recently held many workshops on amendments to the Criminal Code that took effect on Sept. 1. Officers presumably had a lot of questions and feedback at these workshops since these changes were completely new to them. But when the lecturers asked if the officers had any questions, police often responded with silence and indifference.
Legal reforms based on improving human rights are not to be doubted. And they are welcome by the police force, which also dedicates itself to refining ways of handling cases and protecting human rights. However, police officers find it hard to see eye to eye in some of the articles that aim to disparage and deter them. Regardless of the different levels of complexity of each case, the new system restrains an officer who records an interrogation from asking questions, reducing the police force's capabilities and autonomy in handling cases.
Officers are directly faced with crime and their life and death may be determined in a split second, yet our laws do not grant them the power to take immediate forceful measures.
Take the minor crime of drunk diving for example. Closely related to everyday life as it is, our laws are unable to provide a fast and convenient mechanism to deal with it. As a result, the police are usually blamed for hampering personal freedoms, thus making the pressure imposed on them even heavier.
In fact, police do not play an important role during criminal investigations as prosecutors are the ones required by law to investigate crimes. They should therefore be responsible for all the investigations. However, the new regulations enable prosecutors to hand cases to or withdraw them from police.
In other words, all of the investigation work will still be carried out by the police. The police will hardly be able to cope with their fundamental responsibilities of preventing and detecting crimes since, under the new regulations, they will have to tackle cases both handed to them from prosecutors and accepted on their own, as well as participate in court hearings.
However, the burden of maintaining social safety is undertaken solely by the police. Such a system whereby responsibilities are not matched with power severely degrades the dignity of the police and makes the mission of eradicating crime unbearable for them.
Due to the rising public awareness, investigation work by the police is increasingly criticized. Lodging complaints against or suing police officers has become a common practice.
The police are blamed for virtually whatever they do in the process of handling cases. After the system of cross-examinations is introduced in courts, police officers will need to spend considerable time with prosecutors on pre-trial preparation and court operations. And what they get in return for their hard work may be the distrust of judges or defendants' attorneys as well as the legal issues that follow.
In past amendments to the Criminal Code, those who were responsible for social safety -- the police -- were unable to participate, while those who were not responsible made all the decisions. That constitutes the discrepancy between the amendments and the reality of law enforcement.
Police acceptance of the new system does not mean that they identify with it. I saw helplessness and powerlessness among the officers attending the workshops. That is because their work has not been respected or appreciated for a long time. If we don't make changes before they cease caring, then the victims of the reduction of the police's investigative capabilities and autonomy will not be the police, but the public.
Hou Yu-Ih is commissioner of the Criminal Investigation Bureau.
TRANSLATED BY JENNIE SHIH
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.