Hong Kong police watchdog unequipped to probe response: Experts

Hong Kong's police watchdog is currently unequipped to investigate force's handling of months of pro-democracy protests, a panel of international experts appointed by city's own government has found. international finance hub has been upended by five months of huge and increasingly violent rallies, but Beijing has refused to give in to most of movement's demands.

Demands of an independent inquiry

One of core demands, alongside fully free elections, is an independent inquiry into police, who have been left to battle protesters for 24 consecutive weeks and are w load by large chunks of deeply polarised population. City leer Carrie Lam has repeatedly dismissed an independent probe, saying current watchdog -- Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) -- is up to job. Protesters argue IPCC lacks equate investigatory powers, is stacked with pro-establishment figures and has previously been toothless when it comes to holding police to account. Re: 7 Hong Kong Pro-democracy Lawmakers Detained Or Face Arrest

Assessment of IPCC's ability

In September, Lam appointed a panel of independent experts to vise watchdog. Chaired by Sir Dennis O'Conr -- who was tasked by UK government to look at police tactics following 2011 London riots -- it includes policing specialists from Britain, New Zealand and Cana. It has w issued a damning assessment of IPCC's ability to do job it has been tasked with and suggested a fully independent inquiry would be better suited for task. report, dated vember 8, found "a shortfall in IPCC powers, capacity and independent investigative capability necessary to match scale of events and standards required of an international police watchdog operating in a city that values freedoms and rights".

panel said if resources were enhanced, IPCC might be able to issue an interim report "with limited, but sufficient facts" on cause of protests and handling by authorities. But it said re was "a compelling case" for a "deeper more comprehensive inquiry... by an independent body with requisite powers". report was t available on IPCC's website. But it was posted on Twitter late Saturday by one of panel members, UK-based acemic Clifford Stott. Hong Kong government and police did t respond to a request for comment.

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'Urgency of independent inquiry'

panel's conclusion is an embarrassment for Lam as she battles record-low approval ratings and tries to face down calls for an independent inquiry.

"This panel of international experts was hand-picked by government and presumably h been expected to endorse IPCC's work," Antony Dapiran, a Hong Kong-based lawyer who wrote a book about city's pro-democracy movement, told AFP. "For m to come out with a statement effectively saying that IPCC is t up to task is quite damning and only reinforces urgency of an independent inquiry," he ded.

Beijing and Lam appear determined to wait out protests.While crowd numbers are smaller than earlier this summer when millions marched, rallies and increasingly violent clashes are still happening on a weekly basis. Tensions soared this week when a 22-year-old student died from a fall during clashes with police in unclear and disputed circumstances. Tens of thousands of people attended a peaceful vigil on Saturday evening, one of few large garings in recent months to be granted police permission.

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