Policing in Hong Kong offers a report of selected aspects of law enforcement in one of the world’s most interesting locales, especially from the viewpoint of comparative social-science research. In warmer weather, reflective vests with white sleeves are an alternative. The 'Royal' title was bestowed upon the HKPF for their efforts in quelling communist riots in 1967. All of them, however, shared the same green tunics in winter - giving rise to the nickname, day tau luk yee (big head, green coat). The first chief of police was Captain William Caine, who also served as the Captain of the Chief Magistrate.[1]. The fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911 brought civil unrest, and the start of World War I in 1914 saw many European officers enlist and return to the United Kingdom. [24] In particular, the police were criticized for their failure to respond during the mob attack at the Yuen Long MTR station in July 2019. The Hong Kong Police lost ten men during the turmoil which saw a ten-month campaign of insurrection, bombing and murder. For example, senior constable and sergeant ranks are plastic ranks on the sleeve of the uniform. At the time of its establishment, the police force consisted of thirty-two men. Superintendents also have a small white stripe fitted on the police hat. The headgear worn during the 19th century varied according to ethnicity: the whites wore kepis, the Sikh Indians had turbans, and the Chinese wore a form of straw conical Asian hat. Current uniforms were changed in the mid 2000s. [4], In April 2012, the Hong Kong Police Force publicly confirmed a ten-year contractual agreement with the 3M Cogent company to develop the biometric arm of the organization. Currently, they include the: The four serving officers' associations wield significant power, controlling half of the voting rights on the Police Force Council. [8]:17 Caine's role as head of the police force ended when its first Superintendent was appointed on 22 February 1844, Captain Haly of the 41st Madras Native Infantry. It took the determined stance of Governor MacLehose, together with Commissioner Charles Payne Sutcliffe, to instigate the firmest of measures to eradicate syndicated corruption—and the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in 1974 was the prime one. Images show police hitting people with batons and using pepper spray on a train in Hong Kong's metro. Instead, Pakistani and Shandong Chinese were recruited as constables, and this went on until the early 1960s. Internet fraud is rampant and Hong Kong is a key target for the transfer of funds. [10][11], Following Chris Tang's appointment as the Commissioner of Police in November 2019, the police force changed its motto from "We serve with pride and care", which had been used for more than 20 years, to "Serving Hong Kong with honour, duty and loyalty. The ethnic composition of the inaugural force consisted of mixed Chinese, European nationals or Indians. Winter Uniform: Cornflower blue (or white, for commissioned officers) shirts with necktie, worn under a navy blue tunic and Sam Browne Belt, with navy blue uniform trousers. Besides the richness of a variety of delicious foods, romantic sunsets of Capri, the golden voice of Luciano Pavarotti and other classical music legends, the sound of the Opera and mandolins all around that fill the atmosphere and the gifts of ancient history that the mangnifico Italia boasts ,Italy is also home to THE ITALIAN MAFIA. [14][15] Following Chris Tang's appointment as the Commissioner of Police in November 2019, the police force changed its motto from "We serve with pride and care", which had been used for more than 20 years, to "Serving Hong Kong with honour, duty and loyalty. The force was granted the use of the title ‘royal’ in 1969 for its handling of the Hong Kong 1967 riots—renaming it the Royal Hong Kong Police Force (Traditional Chinese: 皇家香港警務處). [10], The 1950s saw the commencement of Hong Kong's 40-year rise to global prominence, during which time the Hong Kong Police tackled many issues that have challenged Hong Kong's stability. T means Traffic Police, KW means Kowloon West, and 2 means the second car of the Kowloon West Traffic Unit. “Rome was not built in one day”. In the 1920s and 1930s, Hong Kong's general peace was punctuated by bouts of civil unrest sparked by labour disputes, instability in China and Japanese militarism. Nevertheless, the situation presented an opportunity to "start from scratch" and after the 'British Military Administration', during which Colonel C.H. [1] Policemen from different ethnic groups were assigned a different alphabetical letter before their batch numbers: "A" for Europeans, "B" for Indians, "C" for local Chinese who spoke Cantonese, and "D" for Chinese recruited from Shandong Province. Until 2007, EU, PTU, and TP vehicles have identification markings like this (1/3 PTUD, 23 EUKW, 2 TKW).[45]. An anti-government demonstrator walks past tear gas on Christmas Eve in Hong Kong, China, Dec. 24, 2019. In the 2010s, the police force played a prominent role in relation to the 2014 Hong Kong protests and 2019–20 Hong Kong protests. Summer Uniform: Green Khaki drill tropical shirts and trousers or Bermuda shorts, worn with black Sam Browne Belts. Moreover, doubts about the willingness of the Hong Kong people to accept Indian officers who had worked, and often abused their authority under the Japanese administration[how?] Hong Kong's High Court ruled on Nov. 19 that the city government had failed to provide an independent mechanism to handle police complaints, breaching the Asian financial hub's Bill of Rights on torture and cruel treatment. Live scan technology and biometric identification products feature in the arrangement, and will be utilized in 32 city police force branches and three immigration locations. Chief inspector is a rank which is not used by the police forces in most of the countries. The 'Royal' title was bestowed upon the HKPF for their efforts in quelling communist riots in 1967. Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, ten-month campaign of insurrection, bombing and murder, Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), allegations of misconduct during the 2019 protests, Historic police station buildings in Hong Kong, "Chapter 4 Changes to the Policing Model and the Return of Hong Kong to China 1994–1999", "4) Changes to the Policing Model and the Return of Hong Kong to China 1994–1999", "Hong Kong Police Force awards ten-year biometrics contract", "Police fired at least 3 teargas canisters", "Police fire tear gas and baton charge thousands of Occupy Central protesters", "Hong Kong police fight with protesters amid rising tensions", "Hong Kong Protesters Clash With Police Inside Shopping Mall", "police failed to display ID numbers, as security chief says uniform has 'no room, "Trio launch court action against Hong Kong police over failure to display identification numbers during anti-government protests", https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/voa-news-china/hong-kong-police-arrest-4-alleged-national-security-breach-under, https://www.news.gov.hk/eng/2020/07/20200703/20200703_140841_083.html, "Hong Kong: People invited to snitch on their neighbours", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_Hong_Kong_Police&oldid=988369219, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from June 2011, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia introduction cleanup from June 2011, Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from June 2011, All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify, Articles needing expert attention with no reason or talk parameter, Articles needing expert attention from November 2019, Miscellaneous articles needing expert attention, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, All Wikipedia articles written in Hong Kong English, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from July 2012, Vague or ambiguous geographic scope from July 2012, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from October 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Kam C. Wong, Policing in Hong Kong (Ashgate, 2012), Kam C. Wong. A chief inspector in Hong Kong generally assists the superintendent of police in commanding the police divisions and headquarters. The Police Children's Education Trust and Police Education & Welfare Trust disburse funds by way of scholarships, bursaries and grants for education expenses and to assist officers with needy children or in financial difficulty. Up until December 2004, when a year-round blue uniform was adopted, the Hong Kong Police continued to wear two seasonal uniforms - a green/khaki summer uniform (tan for women officers) and a dark blue uniform for winter, with constables and sergeants wearing blue shirts and more senior staff wearing white ones. Nicholas Bequelin The Hong Kong government has nonetheless continued to resist establishing a separate investigatory mechanism, such as a commission of inquiry. History of the police force under British and Chinese rule. [30], In addition, officers and their families enjoy substantial fringe benefits through the statutorily entrenched Police Welfare Fund which has current assets exceeding HK$200 million. Viewed from an institutional perspective, this research critically reviews the community policing programmes that were implemented in Hong Kong since late 1960s to present. The 1890s brought challenges, both operational and organisational - there were outbreaks of bubonic plague in 1893–94; whilst the annexation of the New Territories (an additional 356sq.miles of land) in 1898–99, created difficult, but surmountable problems. SDU, Marine Police, and the Counterterrorism Response Unit have their ranks at the back of the helmet or vest. Following this, in the spring of 1967, at the time of the Cultural Revolution in China, left-wing workers instigated long and bloody riots. The older khaki uniforms were used for many decades. EU is like this: EUKW 23. a modern policing system It was formed on 1 May 1844 by the British Hong Kong government with a strength of 32 officers. While changes have been implemented throughout the People's Republic of China (PRC) since the transfer of sovereignty in 1997, the Hong Kong Police Force (formerly the Royal Hong Kong Police Force) has since been responsible for serving the city. Governor Sir Mark Young broadly supported them, and they were implemented under Commissioner Duncan MacIntosh thereby generating the foundation of today's structure and philosophy. Consequently, many members of the force were equally rough individuals. Hong Kong police officers were substantiated over the past year, after many complaints were withdrawn, resolved informally or could not be pursued, according to the force’s watchdog. Piracy on the seas was a constant challenge for the Water Police. [14] Edwina Lau, Deputy Commissioner of Police (National Security), is tasked to head the unit. The crest of the force was modified in 1997. For several decades, Hong Kong was a 'rough-and-tumble' port with a 'wild west' attitude to law and order. As Hong Kong began to flourish and make its place in the world, Britain began to take a dim view of the government's lack of grip in both public and private sectors, and officials with strong values and Victorian concepts of management and discipline were sent to raise standards. Strong leadership, both of Hong Kong and of the force, began to pay dividends towards the latter part of the 19th century, and business prospered accordingly. Hong Kong's High Court ruled on Thursday that the city's police force is in breach of human rights protections by refusing to allow an independent body to examine complaints against officers. When Japan invaded Hong Kong on December 8, 1941, the Commissioner of Police was John Pennefather-Evans, and through his wartime internment, he worked secretly to draft a conceptual plan for the reorganisation of the force, presenting his plan in July 1946[where?]. The Hong Kong Police Force and SDU have also appeared in popular video game series such as Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege and Sleeping Dogs. [36] These funds were also the recipients of, in total, HK$10 million of largess in 2017 from an undisclosed donor.[34]. For … [35], Two trust funds established by statute in 1967 add further to the benefits enjoyed by members of the force. Until 1998, all officers wore a whistle lanyard over the left shoulder running under the epaulet with the double cord attached to a whistle tucked in to the left breast tunic pocket. The Hong Kong Police was officially established by the colonial government on 1 May 1844, and the duties of the magistrate and head of police were separated. Sansom headed the force, Hong Kong was in a position to stand on its own feet again in May 1946. Emergency Unit, Police Tactical Unit, and Traffic Police have identification markings on the back of the car (no motorcycles of Traffic Police), for example, PTUD 1/3. known as the Hong Kong Police (HKP), is the largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. It is a British rank and the countries following the British police model often incorporate this rank in their police service. The officers joined the police force while Hong Kong was still under British rule, in the 1990s, and now occupy senior roles. Traffic Police cars include TKW 2. [2007] (2007). Traffic branch: Reflective yellow jacket and navy blue riding trousers. In 1945, firefighting responsibilities passed to a separate fire brigade. The Royal Hong Kong Police Force (RHKP) reverted to its former name after the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to People's Republic of China. ", "Police fired at least 3 teargas canisters", "Police fire tear gas and baton charge thousands of Occupy Central protesters", Drug Traffic: Narcotics and Organised Crime in Australia, http://www.scmp.com/article/517892/police-chief-who-tore-mask-corruption-force, "Hong Kong police fight with protesters amid rising tensions", "Hong Kong Protesters Clash With Police Inside Shopping Mall", "Two cops accused of torturing man bound to hospital bed", "HK police deny framing, beating protester", "police failed to display ID numbers, as security chief says uniform has 'no room, "Trio launch court action against Hong Kong police over failure to display identification numbers during anti-government protests", "Police Welfare Fund - Annual Report 2017/18", "CAP 232 POLICE FORCE ORDINANCE Section 39E What the Police Welfare Fund may be used for", "The Friends of Hong Kong Association, formed of National People's Congress delegates and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference national committee members", "Police Children's Education Trust and Police Education & Welfare Trust", "Second Hong Kong police union blasts chief secretary for apology over Yuen Long attack response", "Rainbow Six Siege Blood Orchid: operators, release date, map – everything we know", A History of the Hong Kong Police Force in Pictures, “Policing the Pearl: Historical Transformations of Law Enforcement in Hong Kong.”, Economic Analysis and Business Facilitation Unit, Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office, Sales of First-hand Residential Properties Authority, Secretariat, Commissioner on Interception of Communications and Surveillance, Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Campaign to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries, Strike Hard Campaign Against Violent Terrorism, Information operations and information warfare, Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hong_Kong_Police_Force&oldid=993738878, Hong Kong government departments and agencies, Organisations based in Hong Kong with former royal patronage, Pages using law enforcement agency with local civilian police general nature, Articles containing Chinese-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2019, Articles needing additional references from October 2019, All articles needing additional references, Articles needing additional references from April 2020, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Regular establishment: 35,790 (2020 to 2021). 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