Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and the Taiwan Police Equal Rights Association yesterday marked Police Day by calling for better protection of police officers’ rights, saying that officers in Taiwan are overworked and insufficient care is provided for those who are injured in the line of duty.
The association, police officers’ families and KMT Legislator Lin Li-chan (林麗蟬) called on the government to improve on the “hollow” regulations for the care of police officers.
The association said officers face life-threatening situations and are overworked because of irregular working schedules and long hours.
Those who are injured or the families of those killed in the line of duty have not been properly provided for by the government, the association added.
The group said that the current threshold to qualify for compensations is too high.
It called for amendments to the Police Personnel Management Act (警察人員人事條例); compensation for those who fall ill due to overwork; independent legislation to regulate police work schedules rather than using the general civil servants regulations; and the establishment of hospitals and comprehensive medical care for police personnel.
Tseng Hui-chin (曾惠勤), the wife of police officer Hsiao Chien-chang (蕭建昌), who had a stroke, reportedly due to overwork, in 2014, said officers are treated like “consumables,” and their illness is seen as a burden with no offer of help from the government for long-term care.
KMT Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), who also attended the news conference, said he hoped that the status and authority of police officers would be supported by the government and their health and families be legally protected.
National Police Agency official Chuang Ching-hsing (莊進星) said that since officers are also governed by the same regulations as civil servants, “they are not provided with special care if injured on duty, but are only entitled to days off and financial compensation.”
“However, [establishing a special healthcare system for police officers] is where we want to focus our efforts, and we ask for the legislature’s support when we propose a possible amendment,” Chuang said. “We would also appreciate if non-governmental groups could establish a foundation [for the care of police officers] prior to laws being changed.”
Police officers who work overtime are eligible to apply for compensation, “but the agency that determines whether they qualify is the Ministry of Civil Service” Chuang said, adding that the NPA would appeal to the ministry for a lower threshold.
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