Proposed amendments to Criminal Procedure Code
Amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) were read for the first time in Parliament yesterday, building on changes to the CPC made in March last year. They include:
INVESTIGATIVE PROCEDURES
Selected law enforcement agencies, such as the Central Narcotics Bureau, to get investigative powers. Currently, only the police can investigate anyone suspected of making or distributing copies of video-recorded interviews. The proposed amendments will allow officers of the respective law enforcement agencies to investigate such alleged offences without the police.
REFORMATIVE TRAINING
The possibility of backdating reformative training (RT) sentences for youth offenders to be removed.
Currently, the remand period of a young offender waiting for his case to be heard can be taken into consideration during sentencing.
If the amendment is passed, government agencies will work to ensure remand is avoided or minimised for cases where RT is likely, so the offender can get the full benefit of the RT.- CHEOW SUE-ANN
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