POLICE MUSEUM
Operation TIDERIDER Medal
Featured Exhibits

Description

The Operation TIDERIDER Medal is the first medal in the history of the Hong Kong Police Force to recognise the significant contribution made by Force members through participation in special operations. From the second half of 2019, over 1,000 demonstrations and processions against the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 took place in Hong Kong. Many of them turned violent and riotous and posed a serious challenge to the Force. In response to these riots, the Force carried out Operation TIDERIDER. The scale, complexity, command structure, mobilisation, number of units involved and the number of days it lasted were all unprecedented. The Force stood tirelessly by its commitment, strove ahead and successfully brought the offenders to justice.

At that time, the mobs wreaked havoc on private and government property and transport systems. They also attacked police officers and members of the public with deadly weapons such as bricks, sharp objects, iron bars, bows and arrows, petrol bombs, corrosive liquids and explosives. Not only did they besiege police stations and police quarters but they also carried out extensive cyberbullying in the forms of doxing, defamation and intimidation against police officers and their families. Police officers and their families were put under immense pressure and their safety was under serious threat.

In the meantime, police officers were on duty day and night. A number of officers were injured during the operation. In the face of the most serious challenges to Hong Kong society since the handover, with a strong sense of mission, the Force stood united and maintained the rule of law and order in Hong Kong. The then Commissioner of Police Tang Ping-keung deliberately established the Operation TIDERIDER Medal in 2020. It was awarded to Force members who demonstrated outstanding professionalism and bravery in the operation.

The obverse of the medal features the police badge, and the reverse shows a police officer in riot gear. The medal ribbons are embroidered with either orange or purple stripes: orange representing courage and purple representing wisdom, demonstrating the unique role performed by officers in the operation.

As the old saying goes, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating”. The small medal embodies the blood, sweat, toil and sacrifice of the Hong Kong Police Force in safeguarding Hong Kong and protecting the citizens. The contribution of the Hong Kong Police Force is remembered by the people of Hong Kong and the rest of China.

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