Police to transfer cases involving family members of police officers to other branches

On Friday, police officials convened to deliberate on various strategies to enhance the impartiality of investigations, one of which involves moving cases where family members of police officers are involved to a different department where the affected officer does not hold a position. This proposal arises following the Cabinet's endorsement of amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act, which removes prosecutors' authority to carry out direct investigations, including supplementary investigations, thereby granting investigative authority exclusively to the police force.

The proposed policy, intended to be implemented by early September, was deliberated upon during a meeting at the National Police Agency in preparation for the act's revision, which is set to take effect on October 2. Other measures under discussion encompass establishing an internal audit unit to investigate misconduct, increasing the number of investigative officers, and simultaneously reducing the number of officers assigned to monitor unlawful protests.

While these reforms have been welcomed by some, they have also sparked public concerns regarding the potential erosion of overall investigation quality due to the concentration of investigative powers within the police force.