A New Taipei City police officer has been accused of using excessive force while subduing a suspect yesterday, when he was filmed throwing his motorcycle helmet at the suspect.
A police unit saw the 25-year-old suspect, surnamed Tseng (曾), on a street in the city’s Zhonghe District (中和) yesterday morning, allegedly carrying a pouch containing an unknown powdery substance.
When police asked to look at the pouch, Tseng, who is listed in police records as a known drug user, allegedly did not comply and tried to run.
A police officer, surnamed Su (蘇), and his colleague grappled with the suspect before pinning him to the ground, but the suspect swallowed the powdery substance during the scuffle and yelled out while the officers held him down, they said.
An onlooker filmed Su taking off his motorcycle helmet and throwing it at Tseng’s chest. The witness later sent the footage to media outlets.
Police officials and some commentators defended Su’s actions, saying Tseng resisted the officers and was agitating them.
Su said he was pushed and punched during the incident, and he and his colleague expended a considerable amount of effort subduing Tseng.
They could not let Tseng escape, because he tried to destroy possible evidence by swallowing the unknown substance, Su said.
A review board will examine the incident and could hand down disciplinary measures if necessary, Zhonghe Police Precinct Chief Lin Ching-lung (林敬隆) said, but nonetheless defended Su.
“I hope the public can give young officer Su a chance to prove himself. He is a hardworking police officer who takes his duties seriously. During the heat of the moment, Su lost his temper while trying to subdue an uncooperative suspect,” Lin said. “But this should not prevent him carrying out his duties. We understand the incident might leave a negative impression on the public, so we will enhance the training of officers and hand out the appropriate disciplinary measure.”
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition