The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed the third reading of an amendment to the Act Governing the Use of Police Weapons (警械使用條例), to provide police officers with more flexibility and guidance in their use of firearms.
The Executive Yuan proposed the amendment after Railway Police Bureau officer Lee Cheng-han (李承翰) was stabbed in 2019 during a confrontation with a train passenger who had refused to pay the full fare.
The amendment was sent to the legislature in May 2020 and passed a preliminary review at the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee in December 2020, after which the process came to a halt.
Photo: CNA
Pressure to pass the amendment was revived after two Tainan police officers in August were stabbed to death by an inmate who failed to return following his temporary leave from a minimum-security prison.
The amended act relaxes rules governing weapon use for police, stipulating that if officers are unable to use firearms in the course of duty, they can use other items that can serve as weapons.
Police officers are allowed to use firearms if a person uses lethal weapons, dangerous objects or vehicles to attack, harm, seize or coerce officers or others, the amended act says.
Firearm use is also allowed if a person intends to grasp police firearms or other equipment that could cause casualties, or when police officers or others are in immediate danger, it says.
When police use of firearms causes casualties or controversy, the Ministry of the Interior should form a committee of experts and representatives from relevant agencies to investigate the timing and details of the incident, it says.
When firearm use causes an injury or a casualty, police officers should call for emergency medical care or send the injured person to a hospital, it says.
Police management should investigate the case and provide litigation aid and counseling services to the officers involved upon receipt of the committee’s report, it adds.
The State Compensation Act (國家賠償法) applies if an officer’s use of firearms on duty contravenes regulations and infringes on a person’s freedom or right, it says.
If the firearms use complies with the regulations but causes damage to a person’s life, body or property, compensation can be requested, it says.
Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) thanked legislators and legislative caucuses across party lines for passing the amendment, adding that the act is now more flexible and practical.
The ability to investigate incidents by committee, along with the compensation mechanism, can further protect police officers’ rights and interests, he added.
Additional reporting by Wu Su-wei
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
RSS