Security tops Hong Kong police's 2021 work agenda

Photo taken on July 14, 2020 shows the Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong, July 14, 2020. (Photo/Xinhua)

Hong Kong's police chief said on Tuesday that safeguarding national security in the special administrative region will top the work agenda of the SAR's police in 2021.

At a news conference reviewing the city's crime situation in 2020, Commissioner of Police Tang Ping-keung said that to fulfill its mission, the force will intensify its work on collecting intelligence and information concerning national security.

Tang revealed that over 40,000 messages had been received through the national security hotline set up on Nov 5, and useful information was gained for further operations.

The National Security Law for Hong Kong, which was enacted on June 30, outlaws four categories of offenses: secession, subversion, terrorist activities and collusion with a foreign country or external elements to endanger national security.

According to Tang, a total of 97 people had been arrested on suspicion of violating the law as of Feb 2. Eight of them have been charged, including Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, the media tycoon and founder of Apple Daily. To date, none have been convicted.

Meanwhile, the police chief also stressed that the force will work more closely with the city's other national security units to gain public trust and support for law enforcement.

Tang added that by the end of 2020, a total of 10,200 people had been arrested for their role in the 2019 social unrest.

Forty percent of those arrested in relation to the violent protests were students, Tang said. So far, about 2,450 people have been prosecuted, and more than 190 out of the 940 tried have been imprisoned.

The city reported 63,232 crimes in 2020, an increase of 6.8 percent from the previous year. Tang said an increase in fraud cases, as well as those related to drugs, gambling and organized prostitution, led to the higher crime tally.

Determination

Lau Chi-wai, who heads the Hong Kong Police Force's department for safeguarding national security, said at the news conference that the SAR's 30,000-plus police force is determined and confident of taking up the responsibility to safeguard national security.

In a related development, a center aiming to promote national security education has organized a citywide logo competition. From Feb 1 to 28, local residents are invited to design logos that reflect the importance of national security. The center was co-founded by the International Probono Legal Services Association, a local charity group, and lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu.