Authorities are working on taking down videos of an alleged sexual assault at Taipei Railway Station that have been circulating on the Internet or at least stopping them from being viewed, National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said yesterday at a meeting of the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Jie (黃捷) asked the police chief if the agency was doing anything to limit the dissemination of videos of the incident, which occurred on Thursday last week.
A man allegedly raped an intoxicated woman at the east side of Taipei Railway Station’s main concourse.
Photo: CNA
The man was later identified as a convicted fugitive surnamed Chiu (邱).
Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said that she had instructed the agency to handle the matter as soon as she was alerted to the incident, as circulation of the videos would not benefit either the woman or the public.
Chang said the NPA is looking into measures to take down videos of the incident or to block them, as it continues its investigation.
The videos had not been distributed by public networks, so they were most likely recorded by people at the scene, he said.
Taiwan Railway Corp and the Railway Police Bureau have launched internal reviews of operational protocols to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents, Chang added.
The bureau has stepped up patrols and guard points throughout the station, he said, urging the public not to worry.
Chang added the station is not a place where anyone should drink alcohol, as such behavior is prohibited.
DPP Legislator Chang Hung-lu (張宏陸) asked if there was anything the NPA could have done to prevent the incident.
The police chief said that aside from intensifying patrols, the NPA is working with Taiwan Railway and private security firms to reduce blind spots and increase law enforcement presence.
The problem of homeless people congregating at the station has to be resolved, he added.
Chang Hung-lu said that the rising number of homeless people at the station is an ongoing issue and police should own up to their oversight instead of blaming homeless people.
Initial media reports about the incident said the suspect was a homeless person. The Taipei Department of Social Welfare on Wednesday said the suspect was not a homeless person, and urged the public to refrain from labeling and stigmatizing homeless people.
Chang Hung-lu suggested increasing hazard-duty payouts for police officers and creating a special unit to oversee all policing duties across the nation’s railways.
Chang Jung-hsing said the NPA would discuss the feasibility of the proposal, which is more applicable to railways operated by Taiwan Railway and Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp, but less so for transit systems across the nation.
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