TEENAGERS DETAINED OVERNIGHT (Notification of parents)

Mr Lau Ping Sum asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether police officers notify the parents of teenagers who have been detained overnight.

The Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs (Dr Lee Boon Yang)(for the Minister for Home Affairs): Mr Speaker, Sir, when a suspect is arrested and subsequently detained, it is an established procedure for the Police to inform the next-of-kin of the person arrested and, in the case of minors, the parents or guardian at the earliest appropriate opportunity.

However, Sir, in certain special circumstances, the arrest is not immediately divulged as this may hamper Police investigations. Premature disclosure may lead to the alerting of accomplices, who have yet to be arrested, or to the disposal of other evidence.