'Police Should Not Investigate Themselves'

The Civil Human Rights Front has demanded a shake-up of the police complaints system in the light of anger over the force's handling of anti-extradition protests.

Senior officials and police chiefs have urged people unhappy with the police's actions – including the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and bean-bag rounds in clashes outside the Legislative Council on June 12 – to file formal complaints.

The front wants an independent inquiry and says the formal system is useless, because complaints are handled by the in-house Complaints Against Police Office (Capo), with the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) only having the power to supervise Capo's work.

"Capo means the police are investigating the police, and we can give you tonnes of examples of why this system doesn't work," front spokesman Bonnie Leung said during a rally outside the Legislative Council building on Sunday night, which was attended by about 400 people.

"And also the IPCC; it used to work, maybe, at some point – but now we can see that the members are all appointed by the chief executive and even after June 12, these members, where are they? What did they say about it? Have they come out to observe what the police have done? Have they condemned what the police have done? We see nothing about it."

The IPCC said it had received 84 complaints about the policing of protests against the extradition bill, as of Friday. The bill, which has now been suspended by the government, would have allowed for the extradition of fugitives to any jurisdiction, on an ad-hoc basis.

The front will hold a further rally on Wednesday evening at Edinburgh Place in Central. It will press home the front's key demands, including the full withdrawal of the extradition bill, ahead of the G20 Summit in Japan.