SOP on detainees to be reviewed

> Procedures need to be streamlined across the board, says Armed Forces chief

PUTRAJAYA: The armed forces will review and iron out any weaknesses in standard operating procedures (SOP) of handling detainees.

The review will cover SOP at its three branches (navy, air force and army). This comes after two navy detainees died.

Armed forces chief Jen Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor ( pix) said the SOP is already in place but in some cases, certain personnel do not follow it.

“We will look into the matter seriously ... hopefully, this will be the final incident as it is not acceptable in the armed forces,” he told a press conference at the 2017 Warriors’ Day celebration here yesterday.

Mohamed Affandi said after the review, the SOP will be streamlined across the board for all three branches.

Mohamed Affandi denied when asked whether the incident was part of military culture, saying that it was an isolated case.

“If it is a culture, incidents like this would happen everyday.

“We will let the police handle the case and we will help to make sure all these unwarranted things won’t happen,” he added.

Mohamed Affandi added that the armed forces will not compromise on the investigation and those responsible will be answerable to the police.

He said that all camps have their own detention centres, and the detention period for misconduct ranges from 10 to 90 days, depending on the severity of the offence.

Meanwhile, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said police are still investigating the case, but declined to comment further as the probe has yet to be completed.

Commenting on the cancellation of the Better Beer Festival, he said the decision lies solely with local and municipal councils.

Police will play an advisory role, and it is up to the councils whether they want to accept the recommendations.