šŸ“”Guardians of Hong Kong
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We provide translation of news in English from local media and other sources, for academic use.
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#AsiasFinest #TaxpayersMoney
Hong Kong Police Force Purchase 4k Camcorders to Improve the Quality of "Evidence"

At a meeting held by the Independent Police Complaints Council (#IPCC) on Dec 15, 2020, the Hong Kong Police Force indicated that since Oct 1, 2020 uniformed officers have been carrying high definition camcorders when they are on duty. The aim is to "prevent malicious and inaccurate accusations" and to "enhance the quality of evidence when required by the court".

Multiple members of the Council supported the Policeā€™s idea, and requested them to make recordings at all times when on duty.

Stephen Yu, Senior Superintendent of the Support Branch, said the Hong Kong Police Force now own 10,000 camcorders. The second generation camcorders they purchased after 2018 are 1080p cameras that do not require the installation of an external memory card and support low light shooting.

Yu said, unless being requested to keep as evidence in court, videos are otherwise deleted after 31 days. ā€œWe donā€™t just keep them in a server, we have another system to maintain the recordsā€.

After being questioned by a committee member whether the ā€œother systemā€ stood for an independent cloud service managed by the police, Yu added ā€œThe videos are copied to CDsā€.

Source: InMedia HK #Dec17
https://bit.ly/37lGAj3

#MassSurveillance #BigData #HongKongPolice #PoliceState
#PoliceState #FailedState
HK Ombudsman admits no power to look into Police Command System

The #Ombudsman in Hong Kong has declined to look into whether the Hong Kong Police Force secretly changed some of their rules regarding the display of warrant cards and numbers by officers during the mass protests in 2019.

The watchdog said on January 12, 2021 that the complaint against the police forceā€™s refusal to confirm whether it had changed the rules in the Police General Orders was invalid.

In October 2019, the force introduced a new set of codes called operational call signs as a means to identify officers handling protests.

At the time, the police did not say whether the requirement to show warrant cards or individualā€™s numbers still existed.

Police documents submitted to a court hearing in June last year showed that the force made at least three exemptions under the rules in November 2019.

These exemptions were not shown in the text of the general orders published on the police website.

The ombudsman said the police had already provided sufficient information, adding that they have no power to look into the police command system.

Source: Apple Daily, #Jan12
https://hk.appledaily.com/news/20210112/MTKJKTNQCBDDHHCAHPPMUDMHYA/

#PoliceOrdinance #HongKongPolice
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#FirstHand #Feb1
Chaos Continue in Lockdown Area: HK Police Refuse to Let Resident Go Home Despite Promise

A resident in Tsim Sha Tsui told the press of the irresponsible arrangement by the police in the lockdown area on Feb 1, 2021.

The man lives with his wife in a building in the restricted area. As he was away when the police cordoned off the area, he asked if the police can let him go home.

The police clearly told him that civilian can enter but not leave the restricted area, which the man agreed. Nevertheless, the police refused to let him in, claiming that he needed to wait for the staff of the government's Home Affairs Bureau (#HAB) to decide on an "entrance".

The man expressed frustration towards the pointless conversation he had with the police. He also had the impression that the police and different government's departments were shifting responsibility to one another.

#FailedState #AsiasFinest #HongKongPolice #TSTLockdown
#AsiasFinest #Court
Police Charges Contain Rookie English Mistakes; Magistrate Calls It International Laughing Stock


In Hong Kong, a Polytechnic University (#PolyU) student was charged with possession of firearms, strategic commodities and offensive weapons without a license for allegedly possessing a pepper bullet pistol and a saber in his apartment.

The case was being trialed at the Fanling Magistratesā€™ Court on February 25, 2021.

The magistrate Kenneth Chan Ping-Chau pointed out errors in the English version of the charge sheet provided by the police. He read the content out loud on the spot, as it was written ā€œone number of Pepper Ballā€, ā€œtwo numbers of Pepper Ballā€.

The magistrate said, ā€œeven primary school students will know that it is ā€˜one apple two applesā€™, when this case reaches the Court of Final Appeal, I donā€™t want this to become the laughing stock of foreign courts.ā€

The magistrate urged the prosecution to amend the English version of the charges written by the Hong Kong police.

Source: Apple Daily #Feb25
https://bit.ly/37L4cNS

#English #HongKongPolice #LaughingStock
#Sanction #Weapon
#Switzerland Refuses to Provide the Hong Kong Police Force with Ammunition

According to a report by the Swiss media Sonntagblick on March 21, 2021, the Swiss government banned the state-owned arms manufacturer #RUAG Ammotec from supplying the 0.338mm rifle ammo to the Hong Kong Police Force.

The Swiss government made this decision based on the potential risks imposed on the safety of the civilians in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Police Force did not directly respond to the media inquiry by Apple Daily.

Source: Apple Daily #Mar23
https://bit.ly/3vTl3Zm

#AsiasFinest #HongKongPolice #PoliceBrutality #LiveAmmo
#AsiasFinest #PoliceState #FailedState
#HongKongPolice Reinstates #NationalSecurity Director Caught in Unlicensed Massage Parlour as Personnel and Training Director

Source: Stand News; #Aug12

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#AsiasFinest #PoliceState #FailedState
#HongKongPolice Reinstates #NationalSecurity Director Caught in Unlicensed Massage Parlour as Personnel and Training Director

Frederic #ChoiChinPang, the National Security director of the Hong Kong Police Force (#HKPF) has been placed on leave after he was caught in a raid on an unlicensed massage parlour in May 2021. It was the first big scandal to hit the National security unit after it was set up to enforce the controversial #NationalSecurityLaw a year ago.

In just 3 monthsā€™ time, Choi has resumed duty and will be reinstated as Director of Personnel and Training in mid-August, 2021.

Police chief Raymond Siu Chak-yee quoted the Department of Justice that Choiā€™s case "does not involve any criminal offense". Siu also confirmed that Choi will resume his duty in the police force and take the post of Director of Personnel and Training.

Source: Stand News; #Aug12

https://www.thestandnews.com/politics/%E6%B6%88%E6%81%AF%E8%94%A1%E5%B1%95%E9%B5%AC%E6%9C%AC%E5%91%A8%E4%B8%89%E5%B7%B2%E5%BE%A9%E8%81%B7-%E8%AA%BF%E4%BB%BB%E4%BA%BA%E4%BA%8B%E5%8F%8A%E8%A8%93%E7%B7%B4%E8%99%95%E8%99%95%E9%95%B7

#MassageParlour
Hong Kong Authorities Accuses UK National Benedict Rogers of Threatening China's National Security

On March 23, 2022, the International Bar Associationā€™s Human Rights Institute (#IBAHRI) calls on the international community to suspend extradition treaties with #HongKong.

#BenedictRogers, a British citizen and co-founder of #HongKongWatch received a letter from the Hong Kong #NationalSecurityBureau. In addition, the #HongKongPolice issued a notice to Rogers on 10 March 2022, orderinv him to take down the website of Hong Kong Watch within 72 hours of receipt of the notice.

Hong Kong authorities claimed that the website of the NGO posed a threat to Chinaā€™s national security.

In a statement, the International Bar Associationā€™s Human Rights Institute warned that "more than 160 people have been arrested and over 50 civil society organisations have been forced to close in Hong Kong since the National Security Law was enacted in June 2020."

While Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, have suspended their extradition agreements with Hong Kong, countries including the Czech Republic, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea and Sri Lanka still have an agreement with the Hong Kong government.

The International Bar Associationā€™s Human Rights Institute pointed out that "travelling to these countries poses a threat for human rights defenders who may be targeted with the National Security Laws and extradited to Hong Kong to face charges."

Read the full article:
https://www.ibanet.org/IBAHRI-calls-for-suspension-of-extradition-treaties-with-Hong-Kong

Source: International Bar Associationā€™s Human Rights Institute #Mar23

#NationalSecurityLaw #Regime
#HongKongPolice to lower residency requirement for new recruits

Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Mar31

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#HongKongPolice to lower residency requirement for new recruits

//The Hong Kong Police Force has announced that it will no longer require applicants for certain positions to have been living in the city for at least seven years, although they will still have to be permanent residents.

As per the cityā€™s immigration regulations, Chinese citizens born in Hong Kong, people born outside the city to a parent that is both a Chinese citizen and Hong Kong permanent resident, and those born locally to a parent who has the right of abode before the child turns 21 can be permanent residents without living continuously in Hong Kong for at least seven years.

According to the response by the Secretary for Security Chris Tang, the police had 5,706 vacancies as of December 31, 2021, which was 8.5 per cent more than the 5,258 open positions in February last year.

The Force had targeted to hire 1,545 more officers between March 2021 and February 2022. At the end of last year, actual recruitment numbers stood at 542.//

Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Mar31
https://hongkongfp.com/2022/03/31/hong-kong-police-to-lower-residency-requirement-for-new-recruits/

#Recruitment
Hong Kong Police Participation Sparks Protests at World Police and Fire Games in Winnipeg

Source: Chaser News; #Aug06

#WPFG #Winnipeg #Canada #HongKongPolice

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Hong Kong Police Participation Sparks Protests at World Police and Fire Games in Winnipeg

The World Police and Fire Games recently concluded in Winnipeg, Canada, with a closing ceremony on August 6th. The event drew attention due to the participation of the Hong Kong Police Force. A local organization "Winnipeg Hong Kong Concern" led a protest outside the venue, joined by around 30 Hong Kong residents.

During the protest, the group chanted slogans in English, calling the Hong Kong police "killers" in reference to their actions during the 2019 #AntiELAB protests, and demanding their return to China.

Some officers from the Hong Kong police delegation filmed and recorded the protesters with their cameras, even challenging them to confront them directly. "Bring it on", some officers shouted at the protesters.

Local authorities, including the Winnipeg police, were present to maintain order at the site. They advised the protesters to disperse peacefully for safety reasons. Despite this, the advocacy group expressed their determination to continue protesting and closely monitor the Hong Kong Police, emphasizing that they will observe them until their departure from the airport.

Bryan, a member of the Winnipeg Hong Kong Concern group, spoke to Radio Free Asia, expressing concerns about whether the Hong Kong Police would leave Canada promptly after the Games. He also called into question whether the Hong Kong officers' photographing of the protesters were aimed at gathering information about Hong Kong residents in Canada.

The advocacy group issued a separate statement following the protest, urging Canadian authorities to investigate the decision made by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) regarding the participation of the Hong Kong police in the 2023 World Police and Fire Games.

Source: Chaser News; #Aug06

#WPFG #Winnipeg #Canada #HongKongPolice