When he was made National Police Commissioner some six months ago, Nath Savoeun, set out to welcome criticism from the public of his police force whose image had been badly tarnished by his predecessor due to arbitrary arrests, brutality towards the weak and poor, and impunity for the rich and powerful. In a meeting soon after his appointment, Neth Savoeun announced the setting up of telephone hotlines to take complaints from the public. He also announced the installation of letter boxes at each of the 76 commune police stations in Phnom Penh and in more appropriate localities for people to post their grievances against the police. Recently, the Phnom Penh Police Commissioner, Touch Naruth announced that there are over one hundred such boxes across the capital. The police hotlines and boxes are now being expanded into the provinces.
This was a very commendable initiative on the part of the National Police Chief when it was meant to uplift the image of the police and to improve their services which, like other public services, have won little public trust, and, based on different surveys, are among the most corrupt in the country. When in trouble, people invariably resort to NGOs for assistance when they have to deal with the police.
However, some months after the launching of this scheme, there seems to be little use of the police boxes. Some say that people are scared of using them when they can be spotted by the police when going to post any grievances. The Phnom Penh Police Commissioner admitted to the Cambodia Daily (3 June 2009) that Peoples participation has been minimal.
Recently, according to a national police spokesman, Cheat Chantharith, people prefer to use the two national-wide 24 hour telephone hotlines (117 and 118) that have recently become operational. The same senior police officer said that a thousand calls have made so far.
Both Touch Naruth and Cheat Chantharith said that there have been little complaints and feedback about the behaviour of police officers, which the scheme had been designed to address, apart from gathering general information from concerned people. People are using the hotlines to tell the police more about a variety of other issues, including, among other things, domestic violence, search for a missing relative, house fires, gambling dens, and various crimes. These hotlines have become more a source of information for the police rather than anything to do with providing information on their behaviour.
Touch Naruth also stressed the recent popularity of the police telephone hot lines. Regarding complainants or informants using police boxes, they all seem to prefer anonymity so the police could not get in touch with them for further information when they cannot trace them though their writings.
Six months after the announcement, there are still no rules and regulations and no structure to make a systematic use of the scheme for its original purpose. It is said that police boxes are opened every fortnight by police committees but so far little is known about what information has become available. The two telephone hotlines are manned 24 hours a day.
But what is so noticeable is that the scheme has become more an internal oversight of the police and has little to do with its external oversight and the participation of the population in safety and security. The scheme has deviated far from the National Police Commissioners main purpose when he made the announcement to his force, that is, complaints and feedback about the behaviour of police officers. It would be better for the National Police Commissioner to consider the setting up of an external civilian police oversight that has been put in place in many countries in the world, instead of his ad hoc measure which so far has not proved to be working for its intended purpose.
If they want the police force to provide good police services to the people and win their trust, National Police Commissioner Neth Savoeun, the Ministry of Interior he is under and the government itself should put in place an independent civilian police oversight mechanism to oversee the police services and conduct investigations into the bad behaviour of police officers.
Among its important attributes, this mechanism should be easily accessible to the public. It should be independent, have adequate resources and expertise, have investigative power, have power to get the relevant police department to take action against guilty officers, and have a separate office from the police department. The head of this mechanism should be a civilian and the recently retired judges and prosecutors should provide a pool of candidates to choose from. He or she should be appointed by and be accountable to the National Assembly.
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that a police service act is being drafted in Cambodia. The AHRC therefore urges the Cambodian authorities to incorporate this independent civilian police oversight body in this piece of legislation.
