Former Canadian police watchdog Gerry McNeilly was picked by Hong Kong’s Independent Police Complaints Council as one of five international advisers for an investigation into potential misconduct
Former Canadian police watchdog Gerry McNeilly, seen here at his home on Sept. 12, 2019, said the recent violent turn of events in Hong Kong, in which an 18-year-old protester was shot by police, 'is of great concern.'A panel probing police actions in Hong Kong faces constraints that will make its job “extremely difficult," according to a Canadian expert hired as an adviser by the investigative body.
But he added that his mission has not changed. He and his adviser colleagues − two from Britain, and one each from Australia and New Zealand – are current or former members of police watchdogs in their own countries who have been given the task of advising the IPCC on how best to gather evidence. Compared with Canadian police watchdog bodies, he said, Hong Kong’s IPCC lacks investigative powers. “They are unable to summons or subpoena people,” he said, adding that it has to rely instead on ”persuasion” to obtain required information.
Long before live ammunition was fired in Hong Kong this week, rights groups were accusing police of going too far. Pepper spray, tear gas, rubber bullets, bean-bag rounds, batons and water cannons have been all used to suppress demonstrators, some of whom have set fires, vandalized subway stations, tossed bricks and attacked officers.
The IPCC struck a special task force in June to examine police conduct during the protests that started that month. In August, the task force said it will produce its first report within six months. The police force’s Complaints Against Police Office substantiated only four of 6,412 complaints brought against police between 2004 and 2018, according to a joint letter sent to Ms. Lam this summer by Amnesty International, the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor, Human Rights Watch and other groups.
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