[ Foreword ] [ Memorable Events ] [ The Hand of Partnership ] [ Operations ] [ Regional Commanders' Report ] [ Personnel and Training ]
[ Management Services ]
[ Finance, Administration and Planning ] [ Environmental Report ] [ Organisation ]
[ Appendices ]
With the concerted efforts of the Force and the community in the fight against crime, the law and order situation continued to improve in 2018. The overall number of crimes dropped 3.2 per cent from 56,017 to 54,225, and violent crimes also decreased by 2.2 per cent from 9,086 cases to 8,884 cases. For every 100 000 people, there were 728 crimes reported, of which 119 cases were classified as violent crime, compared with 758 cases and 123 cases respectively in 2017. The detection rate stood at 46.5% for overall crime, a slight drop of 1.7 percentage points, while that for violent crime increased by 0.6 percentage point to 65.1 per cent.
Apart from increases in cases of homicide and deception, decreases were noted for most key crimes, including arson, burglary, theft, serious drug offences, robbery, criminal intimidation, criminal damage and rape. The numbers of robbery and burglary cases in 2018 were at record lows since 1969. None of the robbery cases involved the use of genuine firearms.
The Organized Crime and Triad Bureau combats organised and serious crime and triad activities through proactive, intelligence-led operations.
Between May and August, the Bureau mounted a series of joint operations with the Guangdong and Macao Police, resulting in the arrest of a total of 4,283 persons for various offences and the seizure of crime proceeds worth over $313 million.
The Criminal Intelligence Bureau provides intelligence support for major operations and serious crime investigations, and implements a wide range of measures, including the expansion of manpower, restructuring, professional training and system upgrades, to facilitate the model of intelligence-led policing. During the year, the Bureau continued to closely liaise with the Mainland, Macao and overseas law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in the fight against transnational and cross-boundary crimes through training collaborations and the exchange of intelligence.
With the establishment of the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) and a pilot project of the Fraud and Money Laundering Intelligence Taskforce (FMLIT) in 2017, the Commercial Crime Bureau (CCB) continues to bolster the effectiveness of these two major policing initiatives in combatting financial crimes and deception with an all-round approach, ranging from enhanced tactical intelligence exchanges to wider publicity.
The work of the ADCC has been widely recognised and supported by the public, frontline units, financial institutions and other regulatory authorities since its establishment. As at December 2018, the 24-hour Anti-Scam Helpline 18222 received over 36,000 public enquiry calls and provided about 3,500 pieces of advice and support services to frontline officers, with over 250 cases of deception being deterred. The ADCC is also proactive in collaborating with the banking sector to stop payments to swindlers and minimise victims' losses. As at December 2018, transfers of over $1.41 billion to swindlers from the victims or victimised companies in over 550 fraud cases were successfully intercepted. The ADCC also utilises different channels, including seminars, exhibitions, posters, leaflets, video clips and police online platforms to deliver anti-scam messages to the public. Looking forward, the ADCC will maintain its close partnerships with various stakeholders to curb scams.
The FMLIT is a public-private partnership (PPP) that brings together the major players in anti-money laundering efforts, including the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and financial institutions, to fight against evolving fraud and money laundering activities. Since its launch as a pilot project in May 2017, the FMLIT conducted a total of 14 Operations Group Meetings and facilitated intelligence exchanges between the Police and banks in 55 cases. This led to the arrest of 123 persons in 31 intelligence-led operations. The fruitful results proved the FMLIT to be instrumental in reinforcing Hong Kong's enforcement and anti-money laundering capabilities against illegal financial activities. The 18-month pilot project was concluded in November 2018 and a comprehensive review is underway to overhaul the existing mechanism. The goal is to have the FMLIT become a permanent and sustainable PPP model in the combat of financial crimes and the tackle of emerging crime risks.
Between May and November, CCB proactively collaborated with other investigation units to neutralise five syndicates that had perpetrated the Loco London Gold Fraud. These collaborations led to the arrest of over 240 people, the freezing of more than $360 million crime proceeds and the targeting of $70 million worth of assets for financial investigation and potential confiscation.
A number of mega fraud cases reached a desirable conclusion in court during the year. For example, the mastermind of a motor insurance fraud case who had caused hundreds of cars being driven without valid third party insurance between 2015 and 2016 was convicted and sentenced to 45 months in jail.
The Bureau regularly organises the Commercial Crime Investigation Course and the Commercial Crime Investigation Advanced Course to provide specific training for officers in the handling of sophisticated fraud and deception cases. Also, owing to the growing concerns about the Loco London Gold Fraud, designated units from the Bureau have been assigned to render expert support to frontline units in their field investigations. Assistance from the designated teams has proven to be instrumental in securing essential field evidence for ongoing frontline enquiries. The Bureau will continue to offer necessary support to frontline units with a view to raising Force-wide capability to counter serious fraud and deception cases.
Assistant Commissioner (Crime) Ho Yuen-ha (front row, sixth left), and officers performing a cake-cutting ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre.
The Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau (CSTCB) continues its work to combat technology crime and maintain the security of Hong Kong's cyberspace through partnerships with the community, relevant stakeholders and overseas LEAs.
In 2018, the Bureau organised a number of cyber security events to cope with the challenges ahead. One such event was the Cyber Security Consortium 2018 in October, which lasted for three days and attracted more than 600 cyber security professionals from around the world to exchange knowledge on cyber defence and share the best practices on critical infrastructure protection.
To enhance the Force's capabilities in detecting cyber threats and handling cyber security incidents, the CSTCB established a Cyber Range in the Police Headquarters in December. The Cyber Range is equipped with advanced training management systems to facilitate team-based simulation exercises on cyber defence in a virtual environment.
During the year, the Bureau mounted multiple joint operations with the Royal Malaysia Police, Singapore Police Force and Mainland Public Security Department against transnational romance scams and compensated dating scams. The Bureau also mounted a series of territory-wide, large-scale joint operations with investigation units from various regions and districts against local e-shopping fraud. In these operations, 109 persons were arrested in connection with 548 cases of technology crime and crime proceeds of up to $135.9 million.
In March, the training teams of the Bureau organised a Cyber Command Course to enhance the professional capabilities of senior commanders or future leaders of the Force. The course focused on managerial and strategic perspectives on cybercrime and cyber security incidents. Thirty cyber commanders from Australia, Bangladesh, Finland, Japan, the Mainland, Macao, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tonga and Hong Kong attended the course. In August, the training teams were also invited by INTERPOL to run the Joint Cybercrime Workshop for representatives of overseas LEAs in Singapore.
The Cyber Security Consortium 2018 attracted the participation of more than 600 cyber security professionals from around the world.
The Cyber Security Consortium 2018 attracted the participation of more than 600 cyber security professionals from around the world.
The first Cyber Command Course was run at the Police Headquarters in March.
The Cyber Range is equipped with advanced training systems to faciliate officers' training in a virtual environment.
The Narcotics Bureau collaborates with the Mainland and overseas LEAs in the fight against international drug trafficking. In 2018, these strategic partnerships led to 12 successful joint operations and the seizure of 4,088 kg of illicit drugs. Locally, the Bureau uncovered 29 serious drugs cases, leading to the arrest of 54 persons and the seizure of 438 kg of illicit drugs. The Bureau also participated in the 4th Symposium on Drugs Enforcement in the Cross-Strait cum Hong Kong and Macao and organised the Narcotics Command Course to strengthen working partnerships with cross-strait law enforcement counterparts.
Under the co-ordination of the Security Bureau, the Narcotics Bureau works closely with other stakeholders to facilitate legislative amendments and devise effective intervention strategies in response to the emergence of new psychoactive substances.
The Narcotics Bureau seized about 34 kg of cocaine during an operation in October.
The Joint Financial Intelligence Unit (JFIU) and the Financial Investigations Division (FID) under the Narcotics Bureau combat money laundering and terrorist financing activities. The Bureau's Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment Unit (RAU) assists the Steering Committee of the Money Laundering/Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment in conducting risk assessment exercises in Hong Kong. The JFIU, FID and RAU have been preparing and co-ordinating the Force's and other stakeholders' participation in the Financial Action Task Force's Mutual Evaluation of Hong Kong, which critically assess the robustness and effectiveness of the local anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism regime against global standards. The on-site visit of the Mutual Evaluation team was successfully conducted in November.
The JFIU exchanged financial intelligence with local and overseas counterparts, while JFIU officers organised seminars for financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses and professions to deliver important anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism messages. In 2018, the efforts of the FID and other investigation units resulted in 79 persons being convicted of money laundering offences, with a total of $7.865 billion restrained (the highest amount since the launch of anti-money laundering regime in Hong Kong in 1989) and $596.1 million confiscated.
The Bureau also played an active role in the international conferences of the Financial Action Task Force, the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering and the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units.
The Head of the Joint Financial Intelligence Unit signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Financial Investigation Centre of South Africa during the 25th Egmont Group Plenary Meeting in Sydney, Australia in September.
The Liaison Bureau works to establish and maintain strong and effective partnerships with the Mainland, Macao and Taiwan authorities and INTERPOL members.
In 2018, the Bureau hosted the 24th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Tripartite Heads of Criminal Investigation Department Meeting in Hong Kong and co-ordinated the Force's participation in the First Meeting between Mainland Public Security Authorities and Hong Kong Police Force since the 20th Anniversary of Hong Kong's Reunification with China, held in Qingdao. It also arranged for officers to conduct high-level exchanges with international strategic partners including meetings with the chiefs of police from INTERPOL member countries during the 87th INTERPOL General Assembly held in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates.
The Bureau continued to encourage frontline criminal investigation officers to use INTERPOL Integrated Tools and Services. It also co-ordinated efforts to enable police officers to take part in INTERPOL's joint operations and training programmes, thus giving frontline officers a better grasp of the latest trends in transnational criminal activities, while at the same time enhancing their investigative skills.
Then Deputy Commissioner (Operations) Lau Yip-shing (front row, sixth right) headed a delegation to attend the 24th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Tripartite Heads of Criminal Investigation Department Meeting held in Macao.
Commissioner Lo Wai-chung (centre) headed a delegation to attend the 87th INTERPOL General Assembly held in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates.
The Crime Prevention Bureau offers crime prevention advice by producing leaflets for overseas visitors, holding media briefings, seminars, and exhibitions of security equipment, and running promotions through the Police e-platforms. The Bureau also provides independent security advice and crime prevention recommendations to Government departments, commercial and retail organisations, and the public at large. The Bureau has continued to partner with the security industry to help ensure that security companies and their personnel are providing high quality services.
The Force's Robotcop delivering crime prevention messages to kindergarten children.
The Force's Robotcop delivering crime prevention messages to primary school students.
The Identification Bureau provides professional fingerprint examinations, firearms-related forensic services, DNA collection and photographic services to the Force and other LEAs.
The Criminal Records Bureau provides round-the-clock support services to frontline police officers and other Government departments in relation to information available on the Police Operational Nominal Index Computer System.
The Family Conflict and Sexual Violence Policy Unit formulates and implements Force policies, procedures and training on the handling of offences involving child and elder abuse, domestic, family and sexual violence, as well as cases involving mentally incapacitated persons. The Unit adopts a multi-agency and cross-disciplinary approach to assist frontline units in tackling such offences.
The Family Conflict and Sexual Violence Policy Unit, the Social Welfare Department and the Education Bureau co-organised regional seminars on identifying and handling suspected child abuse for school teachers and social workers.
The Major Incident Investigation and Disaster Support System has been upgraded to its third generation version. It assists Force units and other Government departments in managing large quantities of data and crime information, thus improving the effectiveness of complex investigations.
The Witness Protection Unit runs witness protection programmes and provides advice to overseas LEAs on matters concerning witness protection.
The Major Incidents Bureau oversees the Force's overall strategy and specific policies on the policing of terrorist and major incidents, and audits the Force's preparedness and response capabilities for such incidents. In March, the Counter Terrorism and Internal Security Division came under the purview of the Major Incidents Bureau, joining the Exercise and Audit Division, the Major Events Planning Division and the Police Public Engagement Office.
The Command Cadre was formally established in January. It is comprised of officers of the rank of Superintendent to Assistant Commissioner and provides the Force with a pool of selected and trained Field Commanders capable of taking charge of significant operational command tasks. Members of the cadre receive regular training in different fields to ensure command capabilities are maintained at the highest state of readiness.
The Police Public Engagement Office (PPEO) conducts long-term and strategic engagement with various stakeholders and organisations to achieve the smooth and peaceful running of public order events. PPEO also facilitates communication between frontline officers and organisers with a view to enhancing mutual understanding.
The Counter Terrorism and Internal Security Division is responsible for formulating and implementing Force-level policies and orders relating to counter-terrorism (CT) and internal security. The Division keeps a close watch on international trends in terrorist activities, and regularly reviews the effectiveness of the Force's CT contingency plans. It also works in collaboration with other Government departments and private organisations to enhance public alertness to and education about CT.
Operating under the Division, the Counter Terrorism Response Unit has a remit to protect critical infrastructure and sensitive premises. It is also an operational resource in support of CT operations and other major Police operations. Recognising the ongoing global terrorist threat, the Force continues to train hard and conduct numerous CT exercises to prepare for potential terrorist attacks in Hong Kong. Such training and exercises are based on worldwide terrorist trends and critically test the Force's ability to respond to terrorist attacks.
The Counter Terrorism Response Unit takes part in regular training activities and exercises to ensure its responsiveness to terrorist incidents.
The Counter Terrorism Response Unit takes part in regular training activities and exercises to ensure its responsiveness to terrorist incidents.
The Force Search Unit (FSU) played an important role in the security operations associated with the visits of foreign dignitaries throughout the year and the Opening Ceremony of the West Kowloon Station in September. In addition, the FSU not only provided defensive search and venue security trainings for local officers, it also strengthened training collaborations with its Mainland and overseas counterparts, which provided golden opportunities to benchmark local counter-terrorism standards against international standards.
The Police Dog Unit (PDU) consists of 127 trained dogs for patrolling, drug detection, tracking and explosives searches. To teach the community about the daily work of the PDU, the unit arranged for 79 schools and charitable organisations to visit the PDU facilities.
An officer from the Police Dog Unit shared his work with ethnic minorities.
The Police Tactical Unit Headquarters (PTU HQ) is committed to providing frontline officers with a wide range of operational and tactical training in areas such as leadership and command, internal security, public order policing, use of force, crowd management, and rural and physical training. The aim is to equip frontline officers with the knowledge, skills and mental readiness required to handle a wide range of operational situations, from anti-crime operations to public disorder situations and riots.
In 2018, PTU HQ continued to review and refine its training curriculum in-line with the ever-evolving operational environment. Through relentless training, testing and evaluation in frequent large-scale exercises and thematic training sessions, PTU Companies are continually improving their tactics. PTU HQ also continues to conduct research on, and acquire, better arms and equipment to enhance personal protection and improve the operational effectiveness of PTU officers.
Initiatives to develop the professional knowledge and expertise of PTU training staff and to further promote professional pride and loyalty among PTU officers remain a primary focus of PTU HQ.
Police Tactical Unit officers and their family members having fun on the PTU HQ Family Open Day.
Police Tactical Unit officers receiving internal security tactical training.
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau provides coverage for all of the bomb disposal work. This remit includes dealing with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons. The Bureau is trained and equipped to deal with items on dry land and underwater, and is called out, on average, more than two times per week. The highlights of 2018 were three separate operations to deal with 1,000 pound World War II aerial bombs discovered during the construction of a major infrastructure project. All three bombs were rendered safe at the scene in a timely fashion and construction resumed without any serious setbacks.
The Force Rope Access Cadre (FRAC) supports frontline commanders in policing tasks occurring at unusual locations where difficult ingress and egress affect police duties. To promote Force professionalism, the FRAC delivered Operational Access/Safety Technique courses to different units within and outside the Force and also participated in various regional open days and recruitment activities.
The FRAC is always looking to raise its professional knowledge and standards through local and overseas training and visits. In 2018, cadre members obtained special crane operator qualifications from local institutions. FRAC members also visited Australia and France, where they were able to share knowledge and techniques with their counterparts.
Force Rope Access Cadre members regularly hold training with a view to refreshing skills and knowledge.
The Police Negotiation Cadre (PNC) consists of 78 dedicated volunteer police officers who share the common values of passion, nobility and commitment. The Cadre provides a round-the-clock contingency negotiation service to save lives and resolve crisis situations. Its crisis intervention capabilities mean that it can be deployed to handle terrorist and criminal hostage incidents, to perform suicide interventions and to manage negotiations at major public order events.
The Cadre conducts regular negotiation training and joint exercises with key stakeholders within and outside the Force and participates in international conferences and training programmes. It also organises crisis negotiation and suicide intervention workshops for members of other disciplinary services, social workers, mental health professionals, school principals and discipline masters.
In 2018, the PNC continued to conduct evidence-based research on suicide prevention and crisis intervention in collaboration with the University of Hong Kong and crisis negotiation units around the world.
The Police Negotiation Cadre conducts regular negotiation training and joint exercises with key stakeholders within and outside the Force.
The Briefing Support Unit (BSU) constructs scale models in support of operational planning for terrorist incidents and post-incident investigations. After its 2018 recruitment exercise, the BSU now has 28 cadre members. To further enhance modelling construction capabilities, three cadre members visited the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies 2018 in Japan. In addition, 16 cadre members attended a two-day refresher training course.
In 2018, the Force Escort Group (FEG) contributed 2,577 man-days and 127 mobilisations to escort operations of various types, including escorting visiting VIPs, the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison, arms and ammunition, and valuable property.
During the year, the FEG was involved in a number of security operations. These included operations for visits by the President of the Republic of the Philippines, Mr Rodrigo Roa Duterte, and the Federal Chancellor of Austria, Mr Sebastian Kurz.
To enhance the professional knowledge and skills of its officers through interaction and knowledge sharing with neighbouring counterparts, the FEG arranged visits for its officers to the Macao Traffic Police Department of the Macao Public Security Police Force.
The Force Escort Group contributed 2,577 man-days and 127 mobilisations for escort operations of various types in the year.
The Special Duties Unit is the definitive tactical intervention unit of the Hong Kong Police Force. It operates in environments covering sea, land and air, and specialises in handling counter terrorist attacks, hostage takings, and armed criminal activities.
The Special Duties Unit conducting maritime counter-terrorism training.
The Police Licensing Office is responsible for issuing various licences and permits, processing the registration of societies, and reviewing and implementing licensing policies. In addition, the Office facilitates the work of other licensing authorities, and co-ordinates Force policy on public order events.
During the year, the Office arranged visits to liquor licensed premises for members of the Liquor Licensing Board, Municipal Services Appeals Board and representatives of relevant Government departments. The visits provided an overview of the operation of these premises and the enforcement actions taken by the Force. The Office also continued to work with other Government departments to enhance licensing regimes and to pass licensees' comments to the appropriate licensing authorities.
In October, two additional licensing conditions were imposed on licensed money lenders by the Registrar of Money Lenders (the Registrar) with the aim of combatting malpractices by money lending businesses and mitigating the risk of these businesses being used for money laundering and terrorist financing. The Office has been monitoring the effectiveness of these new conditions and will regularly share feedback with the Registrar.
The Police Licensing Office organised night visits to liquor licensed premises.
The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Cadre provides Force members with training in risk assessment, risk management and OSH incident investigation, with a view to achieving Force-wide compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance.
In 2018, the Cadre provided training leading to occupational safety and health qualifications for over 250 Force members. Members of the Cadre attended international health and safety conferences held in Hong Kong, Thailand, the Netherlands and England to gain broad perspectives on good international practices.
The Police Public Relations Branch (PPRB) continued its partnership initiatives with both the media and the wider community during the year, with the aim of enlisting public support for the work of the Force. Information about Police activities was shared with the media on a 24-hour basis via the PPRB's interactive electronic platform. In addition, the Force Media Liaison Cadre continued to foster mutual understanding and respect between the Police and the media, and to enhance the partnership, especially at the operational level.
The PPRB continued to use the Internet and social media to communicate with the legacy media and the general public. Platforms included the Police Public Page, the Police Mobile Application, the Police YouTube channel, the Police Facebook page, and the Police Instagram account. To enhance the effectiveness of police social media platforms, the PPRB worked across popular online platforms and in collaboration with other Government departments to produce content.
One of the key roles of Police Community Relations Officers is to keep members of the public informed about Police policies and operational priorities. Social media platforms and conventional channels are also used to disseminate community education messages relating to crime prevention and police work. The Junior Police Call (JPC) Scheme and the Police School Liaison Programme have continued to serve as valuable bridges between the Police and young people in Hong Kong. Through various new initiatives, for example, lowering the age requirement of JPC members from nine to six, organising E-sports programmes, the Cross-disciplined Forces Training Programme for ethnic minority youth and the Mock Trial Competition, the Force is enhancing its interactions and mutual trust with the youth.
The JPC@Pat Heung has served over 30,000 members of the public, including JPC and Senior Police Call (SPC) members, students, youth organisations and ethnic minorities, since its establishment in August 2017. The centre instils positive values in young people, enhancing their self-confidence, passing on leadership skills and raising their awareness of the need to uphold the law. This is done through a wide range of activities such as physical training, leadership camps and career guidance workshops.
The PPRB SPC Scheme, which has over 10,000 members in 21 Police districts, continued to share messages about crime prevention and personal safety with the elderly.
In 2018, the Force presented 79 Good Citizens Awards to recognise individuals who had contributed to fighting crime. With a view to building long-term constructive partnerships with awardees, a wide variety of engagement activities will be organised annually to ensure their continuing support and to enhance their understanding of police work.
Junior Police Call members and officiating guests participated in a bubble tea workshop during the Fight Crime Summer Camp.
The officiating guests sang the theme song of the Senior Police Call during the 'Share the Love – Senior Police Call' event.
To encourage members of the public to be responsible road users, the Force adopts a multi-agency approach to raise awareness of road safety and explain the rationale behind its stringent crackdown on Selected Traffic Enforcement Priorities (STEP) offences. Information about STEP is published on police social media platforms, and the legacy media are proactively engaged.
In collaboration with the Road Safety Council, Hong Kong Road Safety Association and other stakeholders, the Hong Kong Police initiated a variety of road safety publicity campaigns during the year to support the vision of 'Zero Accidents on the Road, Hong Kong's Goal'.
The Road Safety Council 45th Anniversary Ceremony cum Safety Walk Carnival attracted over 1,000 members of the public.
The Central Traffic Prosecutions Division handles back-end processes, including investigation of complaints or disputes, administration of traffic warrants, serving of traffic summons and judicial processes arising from fixed penalty tickets and traffic summons issued by frontline officers.
The Division's Central Traffic Camera Investigation Unit is responsible for enquiring into and prosecuting violations detected by the Traffic Enforcement Camera systems, which include speed enforcement and red light cameras.
Traffic wardens are responsible for enforcing the Fixed Penalty (Traffic Contraventions) Ordinance, issuing fixed penalty tickets under the Motor Vehicle Idling (Fixed Penalty) Ordinance, and controlling and regulating vehicular traffic and pedestrians.
The Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force supports the frontline crowd management operations and beat patrol duties of the regular Force. In financial year 2017-18, the Auxiliary Police Force enrolled 179 new volunteers from all walks of life. It currently has an establishment of 4,501 members.
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