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Crime scene regulations revamped

The National Police Agency (NPA) and the Government Information Office met yesterday at a special forum to draft regulations regarding media coverage at crime scenes, hoping to improve safety for reporters and the police force.

Media behavior needs to be better regulated at crime scenes involving kidnappings, hostages or any other kind of police work as it could end up endangering the lives of victims, police officers, reporters or civilians, NPA officials said.

The draft regulations stipulate that roped-off areas at crime scenes will be increased to "three-layers" from the current "one-layer" in order to ensure enhanced safety for the police and any reporters around the circumference of the area.

Real-time information

NPA director-general Shieh Ing-dan (謝銀黨) said that in future media centers will be set up near crime scenes to provide real-time information as well as updates on the progress of investigations for attending reporters.

Shieh said that the media must cooperate with the police and respect rules that will help to ensure the safety of victims.

For example, media coverage will be forbidden when a kidnap victim or a hostage is still being held, Shieh said. In addition, ransom payments should not be filmed and media vehicles should not surreptitiously tail police cars to avoid blowing their cover, he added.

The media should also stay out of roped areas and will face charges if they venture into them. The agency will also reinforce police education so that officers understand the regulations as well, Shieh said.

The local media often cause problems at crime scenes, Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) officials said at the conference.

Reporters who are usually dispatched to the CIB understand CIB regulations, but often crime scene news centers attract a lot of reporters who are not familiar with the rules, officials said.

Insufficient

However, academics at the forum said that such regulations would not be sufficient for the creation of a law since it would restrict the freedom of the media.

During the recent case of Tsai Ming-fu (蔡明福), who was kidnapped by Lin Ming-hua (林明樺) and his gang last month, TV reporters broadcast live coverage of the negotiation process between the police and the kidnappers. Coverage from the scene was said to have angered Lin and this could have had disastrous results for both the victim and police.
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