Civil service chief Ingrid Yeung said on Saturday that police, unlike other disciplinary forces, would not need to face the scrutiny of an independent panel for any serious problems found, as they already have their own body monitoring complaints against officers.

That is an exception to the two-tier accountability system rule, laid out in this week's Policy Address, under which problems identified within government departments will be handled based on their severity.

General issues will be investigated by heads of department while serious or systemic problems, or cases involving the heads themselves, will be handled by an independent panel.

Yeung said the investigations conducted by the Public Service Commission into more widespread problems would not cover the force.

That is because, she said, "the police force has its own mechanism, with the Independent Police Complaints Council looking into complaints and operational issues in the unit."

Yeung added: "But the concept of holding department heads accountable and the first tier of the investigation mechanism will still apply to the police force."

The commission, she said, would be able to request any civil servants for information and review all relevant documents to carry out a comprehensive and thorough investigation.