Police and prosecutors are at odds over whether robbery suspects are being too easily let out on bail.
Cops on the robbery beat complain that the number of robbery suspects let loose on bail is too high.
But prosecutors say police need to improve their evidence gathering, which would help ensure that more suspects are detained.
Police and prosecutors met last week to hash out their differences.
"The consensus reached was that more communication and coordination between the police and prosecutors is needed," said Tsai Pi-yu (蔡碧玉), director of the Prosecutorial Affairs Department under the Ministry of Justice.
A police officer representing the National Police Administration refused to comment on the meeting.
According to the administration, prosecutors asked for the detention of just 362 robbery suspects out of 1,403 cases handled between January and May. Of that number, courts granted detention requests in 321 of those cases.
But prosecutors say that the low number of detention requests is not a sign that they are slacking off. In many cases referred to them by police, they say, the alleged crime is not serious enough to warrant detaining a suspect.
Tsai said the most frequent problem prosecutors face is that police mishandle a case in the early stages of an investigation, creating more problems later.
"Evidence [presented by the police] is often inadequate," Tsai said.
In particular, she said, police often present suspects who have been identified solely by the victim. "In many motorcycle snatching cases -- in which suspects wear helmets while committing the crime -- the identification by victims is particularly flawed," Tsai said.
Even when there is sufficient evidence, she said, sometimes the alleged crime isn't severe enough under law to warrant the detention of a suspect. Prosecutors have little choice but to allow suspects to go on bail.
Tsai also noted that the number of suspects prosecutors asked to be detained isn't far from their approval rate. "That means prosecutors and judges have similar views in these cases," she said.
Before a 1997 amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedures, prosecutors alone could decide whether to detain the suspect. After the change, that power was handed over to the courts.
To prevent serious offenders from walking on bail, Tsai said, police should consult with prosecutors before turning over their cases.
"That way both sides can discuss and decide what evidence is still lacking and needs to be gathered," Tsai said.
That would prevent the police from referring cases to prosecutors with scant evidence as back up.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft