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Legco 'not sitting on' crime bill

THE legal profession's representative in the Legislative Council, Simon Ip Sik-on, has denied legislators are to blame for the long delay in passing the Organised and Serious Crimes Bill.

''I need to remove the erroneous impression that we are sitting on the bill,'' he said yesterday.

Mr Ip, convenor of the bills committee studying the controversial bill, said it was the legislators' task to scrutinise the bill before giving their endorsement.

''What this bill is trying to do is to seek to remove the right to remain silent,'' he said. ''We've to look at it very carefully.'' Governor Chris Patten said in his policy address that the police urgently needed the powers contained in the bill.

He said the bill had been in the hands of the Legislative Council for 16 months.

''Of course members must scrutinise the bill's provision for their impact on the rights of the individual. But our policemen and women are facing a serious threat now,'' he had said.

Mr Ip attributed the delay to the administration's slow response to legislators' queries about the bill.

In one instance the Government took 11 months to respond to a question, he said.

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