it is not civil lawsuit. basically it means that they have
limited powers of investigation, and would require assistance to
attain those special powers of investigation vested to them
[applied for seizable offence cases] as prescribed in the criminal
procedure code [cap 68] by way of the victim lodging a magistrate's
complaint. the magistrate will then, upon listening to the merits
of the case, decide on the next course of action.
civil lawsuit is for civil case. civil case = no criminal element
involved. at least, not 'criminal' as can be seen in the penal
code.
non-seizable offence = there are criminal elements in the offence.
it is a penal offence, punishable by law. it is just that the
Police have limited powers of investigation when it comes to such
matters.
basically there are two types of investigations: one is
police-initiated, which is usually seen in seizable offence cases
or those non-seizable cases of special interest, and then there are
the public-initiated[or assisted] investigation, mostly dealing
with non-seizable offences.
people really should be educated on non-seizable offences, and what
they entail.
