The Control Yuan has impeached four police officers for their role last year in deleting surveillance footage of a group of men storming Taipei’s Zhonglun Police Station before leaving without being arrested.
Control Yuan members on Tuesday last week voted unanimously to impeach former Songshan Precinct commissioner Lin Chih-cheng (林志誠), former Zhonglun Station chief Hsu Shu-huan (許書桓), Hsu’s then-deputy Yen Min-sen (顏敏森) and sergeant Fu Jung-kuang (傅榮光), it said in a statement on Monday.
In the early hours of April 16 last year, a civilian surnamed Hsu (徐) and nine men chased officer Yang Chung-li (楊忠蒞) into Zhonglun station, damaging a computer during a confrontation with officers before leaving without being arrested.
Yang, a police training instructor with the Songshan Precinct, reportedly had a dispute with Hsu at a nearby restaurant.
Later that day, Fu asked Hsu Shu-huan if surveillance footage of the incident should be deleted so Yang could save face, and he agreed, prosecutors said.
An anonymous Facebook user on April 21 posted about the break-in and subsequent cover-up, questioning why those involved had been dealt with so leniently.
The Songshan Precinct held a news conference the following day, but no video recording was provided.
Lin said that there was no footage available because staff failed to reboot the station’s surveillance cameras after a power outage the night before.
However, the Taipei Police Department’s information technology division recovered the footage, with the video confirming that the men had charged into the station and damaged a computer.
Hsu Shu-huan has since been reprimanded for his actions and removed from his post, while Yang has been transferred to another station.
The Control Yuan said that Yen was in charge of the station on the night of the incident, but knowingly hid the break-in from the precinct and ordered his subordinates to “treat the matter lightly.”
The watchdog body added that Hsu Shu-huan, Fu and Lin had also played a part in attempting to hide the incident.
The Disciplinary Court is to rule on what measures to take against the officers, all of whom, except Lin, are still employed with the Taipei police.
The Control Yuan also censured the Songshan Precinct for its leniency in handling the matter, with the officers involved to be further investigated for “indulging criminals” and “filing a false report” based on new evidence.
Lin lied about the computer, saying it was knocked over in an accident, the Control Yuan said, adding that he initially also said that there was no footage due to a power outage.
Three other police officers who were on duty that night and witnessed the crime also did nothing to intervene, and allowed the intruders to leave, it said.
The Control Yuan said the officers filed a false report claiming the computer had been damaged by a member of the public accidentally knocking it over.
The precinct said it respected the decision, but as the case has yet to be reviewed by the Disciplinary Court, it would continue to enforce its disciplinary measures against the officers.
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