Table 18: Complaints from detainees from January to December 2018
No. of
No. of
Complaints Ongoing
Visits
complaints
disposed of complaints
Prisons
68
85
76
9
Police Cells
48
Detention Centres
8
RYC/CYC
12
Hospitals
4
TOTAL
140
85
76
9
Source: National Human Rights Commission
Table 19: Nature of complaints January to December 2018
Nature of complaints
Number
Conditions of detention
30
Legal Issues
39
Petitions: 4 applications for reduction of sentence and 1
5
application for respite
Miscellaneous
11
Source: National Human Rights Commission
20. Section 4 of the Independent Police Complaints Commission Act provides that without
prejudice to the jurisdiction of the Courts or the powers conferred on the Director of Public
Prosecutions, the Ombudsman or the Disciplined Forces Service Commission, the Commission
shall – (a) investigate into any complaint made by any person or on his behalf against any act,
conduct or omission of a police officer in the discharge of his functions, other than a complaint of
an act of corruption or a money laundering offence; (b) investigate into the cause of death of a
person who died whilst the person was in police custody or as a result of police action; (c) advise
on ways in which any police misconduct may be addressed and eliminated; (d) promote better
relations between the public and the Police and (e) perform such other functions as may be
conferred to it by any other enactment.
21. The Police and Criminal Evidence Bill is in the stage of finalisation. The Bill aims at striking
a full balance between the rights of the individual and the practice of their powers by the Police
and those in authority. It will, inter alia, bring together, in one enactment, provisions which relate
to the exercise by police officers of the power to stop, enter, search, seize, arrest, and detain; to set
a time limit for the detention of persons on remand/ awaiting trial, so as to better guarantee the
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