Najib Launches PDRM's SMART Prison To Prevent Deaths In Custody
242 detainees have died in police custody from the year 2000 till February 2014.
By Tang Ruxyn — 19 Apr 2016, 11:19 AM
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has launched the Royal Malaysian Police’s (PDRM) Smart Lock-Up yesterday, 18 April.
The Smart-Lock Up is aimed to optimise the operational productivity in lock-up and ensure safety of detainees.
For a start, the Self-Monitoring Analytics Reporting Technology (SMART) Lock-Up Management System will be built at Jinjang police station centralised lock-up, as a pilot project before being expanded to all police stations nationwide.
Jinjang Police Centralised Lock-Up chief ASP Edmond Wong said the smart lock-up system had been installed since early February in all lock-up rooms on the first floor of the building.
"The feedback we received so far is good. We will install the system on all lock-up buildings in Jinjang next month," he told Bernama.
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Datuk Pahlawan Zulkifli Abdullah, director of Management of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) said that the new technology is intended to increase productivity and reduce manual work
The main outcome of SMART Lock-Up is improved safety and overall site management of the lock-up facilities.
Officers are able to better manage detainee misconduct or suspicious behavior with machine assisted monitoring, based on input from video analytics and the 3D location indicator.
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The cameras are capable of picking up video images that will be fed through the analytics systems that can detect behaviours such as fighting, loitering, climbing, vandalism and suicidal actions by detainees.
Meanwhile, the 3D location indicator feature will decrease the need for officers to make frequent rounds as it can assist officers in observing, tracking, and monitoring the activities of inmates.
The Smart Lock-Up is also an initiative to improve the image and integrity of PDRM, following the controversies that arose as a result of the increasing number of deaths in custody
Earlier in February, Zulkifli reportedly said that the new system would be a proactive measure to inspect the credibility of PDRM when untoward incidents involving detainees occur.
In April 2015, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), said that police statistics spanning from January 2000 till February 2014 showed that 242 detainees died in police custody, accounting to about 17 deaths per year. According to the police data, most of the deaths were caused by illnesses or cardiac arrests. According to the police data, most of the deaths were caused by illnesses or cardiac arrests.
The Smart Lock-Up is a system designed by the PDRM with the cooperation from the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, and was developed by the Malaysian Institute of Microelectronics System (MIMOS).
The system had won the Asia-Pacific Enterprise Innovation Award 2015 (government category) last year.