Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) believes that the newly-proposed amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act 1959 (Poca) will make the law on detention without trial harsher than it already is.

The NGO was particularly concerned about the proposed amendments to the role of the “inquiry officer” as stated in the act.

“With the proposed amendments, the government is seeking to make a major change to the role of the inquiry officer, as there will be no longer a duty for the detainee to be brought before the inquiry officer,” LFL executive director Eric Paulsen said in a statement today...