The Control Yuan has issued corrective measures against the National Police Agency, the Taipei Police Department and the Wenshan Second Precinct, after a social worker complying with an investigation was placed in handcuffs and led past reporters last year, it announced today.
The precinct contravened regulations on the use of restraints and the principle of investigative confidentiality, and the agency and police department failed to exercise proper supervision, Control Yuan member Wang Yu-ling (王幼玲) said.
After a Taipei nanny surnamed Liu (劉) and her sister were accused of killing a one-year-old boy from New Taipei City named Kai Kai (剴剴) at the end of 2023, police transferred the social worker as part of the investigation on March 12 last year.
Photo: CNA
Although the social worker, surnamed Chen (陳), complied with the investigation and had not yet been detained, police used handcuffs and allowed media coverage, inciting public criticism.
Chen was transferred for further questioning on suspicion of falsifying visitation reports as a staffer at the Child Welfare League Foundation, which had placed the boy under the temporary foster care of contracted caregiver Liu.
The Control Yuan’s Committee on Domestic and Ethnic Affairs and the Committee on Judicial and Prison Administration Affairs convened a meeting earlier this week to give an investigation report and issue corrective measures as proposed by members Wang and Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容).
Police officers deliberately drew media attention by altering the transfer route and failing to cover the handcuffs, exposing Chen to be filmed and asked questions by reporters, Wang and Chi told a news conference today.
Police said they used the handcuffs, as they believed that Chen was at risk of escaping or inflicting self-harm, they said.
However, it is widely known that suspects are photographed by reporters as they are put into police cars, and so the restraints should have been covered, they added.
The investigation also questioned the responsibility of the prosecution, as prosecutors failed to remove Chen’s handcuffs during questioning that evening, which also constituted misconduct, Wang said.
Media reports on ongoing criminal investigations should protect the reputation of suspects, respecting their right to a fair trial and to be assumed innocent until proven guilty, she said.
The Executive Yuan should also supervise investigative agencies, ensuring they strictly comply with the principle of confidentiality and coordinate with media associations to establish self-regulation mechanisms to protect suspects' identity, she added.
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