HK police merit full respect
Updated: 2013-05-16 05:02
By Yang Sheng(HK Edition)
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It has recently come to our attention that the Hong Kong Police Force has been increasingly accused by some politically minded pundits of "heavy-handed responses towards protesters".
The latest case is that police made a "low profile" attempt to arrest an "Occupy Central" volunteer on a charge of assisting and taking part in an unauthorized assembly two years ago.
A newly-released report on human rights, compiled by the US State Department and sent to the Congress, claimed that while the HKSAR government "generally respected" the rights of freedom of assembly in practice, "activists and pan-democratic legislators expressed concern that the government took a more restrictive view of protests at the central government liaison office". It also alleged that the police are turning to more aggressive, abusive tactics under the command of hawkish Andy Tsang Wai-hung, commissioner of the police force.
Take a look at some of the examples cited, then one can easily find such accusations totally groundless and absurd: the force has been abusing its powers - as reflected in the frequent use of pepper spray; other "heavy-handed policing" includes placing flower pots outside the entrance to the central government's liaison office "depriving protesters of a place to stand, hindering protesters from making their voices heard"; and one last sin: Tsang's refusal to apologize over the "wrongdoing".
Can all the above-mentioned behavior be used as a yardstick to judge whether or not the local police are using excessive force or abusing its power? The answer is obviously no. When it comes to ruthlessness and tyranny, law-enforcement officers in the US and Europe routinely beat bloodied demonstrators into submission. Judging by its counterparts' manner in the US and Europe, the local force is far more restrained and lenient, far better trained and disciplined, far more caring and respectful of protesters. Occupy Wall Street in 2011 is a case in point. Television viewers around the globe watched in horror as baton-waving cops chased blood-stained protesters, while even innocent bystanders couldn't avoid being hit or pepper-sprayed. Compared with the US police running amok, Hong Kong law-enforcement officers are like harmless sheep.
Formed on May 1, 1844, the Hong Kong Police Force is the world's second, and Asia's first police agency to operate with a modern policing system. Over 169 years, it has distinguished itself as Asia's finest, one of the most modern police forces in the world, operating within the traditional constabulary concept of safeguarding law and order, preventing and detecting crime, with a strong emphasis on enlisting community support.
The crime statistics over the past decade are testament to the force's job performance. Observe the data: in US President Barack Obama's hometown Chicago, a city with 2.8 million people - less than half of Hong Kong's population, there were 506 murders last year. Hong Kong had only 27 homicide cases during the same period. Another comparison: New York's murder rate was approximately 14 times Hong Kong's and London's was almost 4 times ours. It is because of our police force's tremendous effort in turning Hong Kong into one of the safest cities in the world, that citizens can enjoy a peaceful life.
The Hong Kong police, committed to its motto "we serve with pride and care", is well recognized internationally not only for its role in keeping the city's unique low crime rate, but also for maintaining law and order. It hasn't been an easy task, especially against the backdrop of an increasingly confrontational and lawless political atmosphere. Some opposition members' current rebukes even go to farcical lengths suggesting a conspiracy theory - that all of these police moves obviously convey a message that the voice of dissidents would not be tolerated and the SAR government has started to manipulate all of its political apparatus to suppress dissidents' voices.
Although few will subscribe to the opposition's conspiracy theory that politicizes every issue, we still feel it necessary to point out, that human rights protection, such as freedom of assembly, is enshrined in the Basic Law. The people in Hong Kong can undoubtedly enjoy a high degree of civil liberties, and any remarks that say the police suppress freedom of expression or assembly is unfounded and ridiculous. According to government statistics, of 7,500 public events held last year, only 40 involved police arrests, and nearly 70 percent of the arrests were made because other people's rights or property were affected.
Therefore, the general public should be confident about the force's professionalism, integrity and capability, and should unwaveringly support and assist the police in fulfilling its responsibility of keeping law and order. In a free, tolerant and politically diverse community like ours, everyone has the right to express opinions on public affairs, but there is certainly no room for intimidating or violent acts conducted for the purpose of political gain. The Hong Kong Police Force has no choice but to hold those unruly activists, who utter their opinions by resorting to abusive behaviors, accountable.
The author is a current affairs commentator.
(HK Edition 05/16/2013 page9)