Use of CPA soon to curb crime
(The Star) – “The question of new preventive laws does not arise at the moment and those accusing the Government of attempting to enact new draconian laws are jumping the gun.
The Government will invoke the Crime Prevention Act 1959 (CPA) soon to counter gangland and underworld syndicate-linked serious crimes that are currently on the rise.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan said the use of the CPA comes in light of the absence of preventive laws specifically meant to deal with secret society members being investigated by inquiry officers.
“We are looking at existing laws such as the CPA and how best to use them effectively to deal with the rise in crime,” he said.
Low added that the appointed inquiry officers, who are not from the police force, must also be given a platform to justify the suspects’ detention.
He said the move follows a pending study by the Government to determine if new preventive laws were needed.
“For the time being, we are looking at existing laws such as the CPA and Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA) 2012 to see how these can be effectively enforced by the police,” he said.
The CPA, applicable in peninsular Malaysia, will allow for suspected gang members to be detained for 14 days and an additional 28 days if required for further investigations.
Inquiry officers will be appointed during this time to determine if there are grounds for the suspects’ detention and if they are indeed gang members.
The inquiry reports would then be forwarded to the Home Minister for endorsement with the remanded suspects having the right to appeal against their detention orders.
Last month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that the Government was mulling over tabling new preventive laws in Parliament.
A special committee, headed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala, was formed to study the need for new preventive laws following Najib’s announcement.
Other members in the committee are Low, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri and Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Meanwhile, Low chided certain quarters for “jumping the gun” when accusing the Government of attempting to enact draconian preventive laws.
“The question of new preventive laws does not arise at the moment and those accusing the Government of attempting to enact new draconian laws are jumping the gun.
“Nothing has been finalised yet,” he added.
However, he said that any new preventive laws to be enacted must strike a balance between safety, security and liberty.
