CLAIMS of police brutality are nothing new. Both here in Hongkong and elsewhere in the world, offenders regularly resort to allegations of beating and intimidation as a first line of defence when cornered and accused of crime.
Last week's accusations that officers charged with protecting the public had resorted to physical assault themselves were, however, different. Not so much because of their nature, though that was quite shocking enough, but because those making them were uniformed members of a service which is also responsible for upholding the law.
And perhaps even more significantly, the men from Hongkong's Customs and Excise Department chose to make their allegations at a public press conference, indicating that though they had reported the matter to the Complaints Against Police Office, they hadlittle faith in its effectiveness.
Police Commissioner Mr Li Kwan-ha has promised a full investigation into the men's allegations that they were handcuffed, punched, kicked, beaten, then prodded with torches and batons. Of course, it is right that he should. But if one agent of the law displays such a fundamental lack of trust in the procedures designed to deal with complaints against another, shouldn't the public wonder why? Recently, legislators led calls for a revamp of the Complaints Against Police Office, arguing that a fully independent investigation team is needed to allay suspicion that some claims are not followed through as forcefully as they might be. Eyebrows were raised last month, for example, when it was revealed that the office took no action following allegations that an off-duty policeman crashed through a car park barrier, causing criminal damage, while other officers looked on.
There were some 4,580 complaints made against the police in 1991 for misconduct of some kind or another. Only 2.3 per cent were ''substantiated''. That means nearly 98 per cent were either malicious or misleading.
Even given the propensity of some criminals to blithely accuse their captors of anything and everything that might help their case, that figure would appear to be extremely high.