Five police officers are being investigated for allegedly perverting the course of justice by substituting a minor charge for serious traffic offences committed by a friend of one of the men. The complaint, in an anonymous letter to the South China Morning Post, also accused one of the officers of forcing three other officers involved to make a false statement to investigators probing their case. A police spokesman yesterday confirmed they had received a similar complaint and the Kowloon East Regional Crime Unit had been asked to investigate the case independently. He said it had also been arranged for a senior officer who was not involved in the case to contact the complainant to provide him with any help needed. He said appropriate action would be taken against any officers who were found to have breached the law or internal rules of the force. The complaint involves a chief inspector from Wan Chai, an inspector who commands a Tseung Kwan O patrol sub-unit and three of his junior officers. The three junior officers are said to have intercepted and arrested an expatriate woman on January 20 for allegedly driving without a licence in Chun Wang Street, Tseung Kwan O. An expatriate man sitting in the passenger seat was also arrested for allegedly aiding and abetting the offence. The letter alleged the pair were released after the man indicated he knew a chief inspector working in Wan Chai and asked the inspector to contact him. It claimed the patrol sub-unit members were then forced to follow the inspector's order to replace the original charges of driving without a licence or third party insurance and the aiding and abetting of driving without a licence with the minor charge of carrying no identification card. The letter also accused the inspector of exerting pressure on the three officers to make false statements to Kowloon East Regional Crime Unit investigators probing their case on February 8. The inspector was said to have exerted pressure to silence the three officers again on February 18 and prevent them from seeking a transfer. The police spokesman said while the three officers had not complained to investigators that they were being subjected to any pressure, the investigation would look into all aspects of the allegations. stella@scmp.com
