The Keelung City Police Bureau has announced penalties for 13 officers in its Third Precinct after confirming that eight of them recently attended a birthday celebration for a local gang leader.
In the early hours of Tuesday, a user posted a video to a public Facebook group allegedly showing Keelung police officers at a birthday party for the Qidu District boss of the Thento Union’s Taiyang Hui gang.
The Keelung Police Bureau launched an investigation into the allegations later that morning, and on Wednesday announced that it had imposed penalties on the eight officers who attended the event and five of the precinct’s senior officers.
In a press release, the bureau said that a sergeant in the Third Precinct’s criminal investigation division, surnamed Cheng (?), had invited seven other officers to the gathering at a restaurant in Keelung’s Nuannuan District on the evening of Jan. 13.
While Cheng did report the matter in advance, he falsely said the purpose of his visit was to “consult” with the gang leader, according to the bureau.
For submitting a false report, as well as “severely” harming the reputation of the police when the video was disseminated, Cheng was demoted and received two demerits on his employment record, the police bureau said.
Meanwhile, the seven other officers who attended the event also faced disciplinary measures for failing to make proper reports and not following police guidelines on interactions with “designated individuals.”
They received varying punishments, including demotion, demerits on their records, and being assigned to desk duty, according to the press release.
Meanwhile, five other police officials, including the Third Precinct chief, deputy chief and investigative division captain, received official reprimands or demerits for poor oversight and insufficient internal controls, the department said.
In response to the incident, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (???) said he expects all public servants, including the police, to exercise better discretion and hold themselves to higher standards on matters pertaining to organized crime.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel