'Police cannot be left to police themselves' - CIU receives brickbats

Veteran activist Ivy Josiah has questioned the wisdom of setting up the Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU) on Deaths in Custody as announced by Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin earlier this week, saying that it was very unlikely to achieve the desired check and balance.

"The twists and turns on this road to setting up an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) have been treacherous since the key recommendation was made in 2005 by the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operations and Management of the Royal Malaysian Police," she told Malaysiakini.

"While this new initiative may act as an internal check and balance, we will still need to institute an external independent body that will investigate...