THE Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) is preparing a comprehensive amendment to the 1953 Lockup Rules to ensure the management of lockups and the basic rights of detainees are improved in line with current needs and requirements. 

MOHA in a reply published on parliament’s website said this was among the measures taken by the police to curb the issue of deaths in custody. 

“This is in addition to providing standard operating procedures (SOP) for the management of detainees in the lockup as well as periodic inspections by the authorities to ensure compliance,” it said. 

The ministry was responding to a question from Zahari Kechik (Jeli-PN) who wanted to know the statistics of deaths in custody for the years 2021 and 2022 as well as the government’s efforts to curb such incidents. 

According to MOHA, the police were also studying a proposal to affix a ‘Hospital or Custody’ notice on every police car as a reminder to send ill or injured detainees to the hospital for treatment. Such a notice had been used by British police.  

The ministry said that 24 deaths in custody were recorded from January 1-December 31, 2022, with 11 of those deaths occurring in police lockups while the other 13 occurred when detainees were either receiving treatment at a hospital or clinic or on the way to the facility. 

The number of such cases in 2021 totalled 46, of which 14 occurred in lockups. 

Meanwhile, regarding the statistics of investigations, charges and convictions under the Sedition Act 1948, MOHA said a total of 367 case files had been opened from 2018-2022, namely 66 cases in 2018; 2019 (46 cases); 2020 (117 cases); 2021 (84 cases) and 2022 (54). 

Five of the cases had been tried in court, it said, adding that three ended in convictions while the other two were still ongoing. 

The ministry was responding to a question from Syerleena Abdul Rashid (Bukit Bendera-PH) over the matter. – Bernama, February 27, 2023.