PUTRAJAYA, Jan 7 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said the government is considering setting up a new committee to oversee possible misconduct in 20 law enforcement agencies.
The prime minister explained that it is studying the formation of a new oversight body as the current Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) may be turned into the much talked about Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to deal specifically with complaints against the police force.
“The government takes cognisance on the issues relating to the overseeing of the 20 enforcement agencies in Malaysia, should the EAIC get upgraded to IPCMC.
“Therefore, the meeting today has agreed with the suggestion to examine the need to form a complaints committee. This, apart from the RMP, we have the complaints committee to monitor the management of cases of wrongdoings for 20 other agencies apart from the RMP,” he told a news conference here, using the abbreviation for the Royal Malaysia Police.
Plans to introduce the IPCMC were stymied in Parliament last year following disagreements within the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition.
The IPCMC Bill is currently scheduled to be tabled in Parliament in March.
The highly anticipated IPCMC seeks to provide civilian oversight of the police force and was the headline recommendation of the 2005 royal commission of inquiry on the force.
