Retiring ACP sings the praises of officers
for their professional performances
"In my 35-year career with the Force, what has made me most proud is officers' camaraderie and their quality of service to the community. In this respect there are numerous examples, notably the demonstrations staged by Korean farmers during the World Trade Organization (WTO) Conference in Hong Kong, and the Beijing Olympics Equestrian events. In mounting security operations for these major events, officers of different ranks worked closely together for a common goal. Whilst handling demonstrations, they struck a fine balance between freedom of speech and social order," said retiring Kowloon East Regional Commander Suen Kwai-leung during an interview with OffBeat.
Mr Suen joined the Force in 1976 and reached the peak of his career when he was promoted to Assistant Commissioner in February 2008. "I always use my own case as an example and share my experiences to show that as long as they are willing to work hard, their efforts will pay off," he noted.
He pointed out that in recent years the academic qualifications of recruits joining the Force has become higher. At the same time, the Force has provided officers with many opportunities for overseas training and exchanges, the emphasis being on enhancing their personal qualities. Officers should avail themselves of these opportunities to get better equipped for both work and career development.
"Unforgettable moments"
Without any hesitation, Mr Suen described carrying out security operations for major international events as the "most unforgettable moments" of his career. He was responsible for coordinating the security operations for the WTO Conference in 2005 and the Olympics Equestrian Events in 2008.
Noting that it was a great honour for him to perform this role, Mr Suen said: "For the majority of officers, the farmers' demonstrations were the first major riots they had ever experienced, and posed a great challenge to them. At that time, we adopted a completely new strategy and the outcome proved very successful. Many innovative measures were recognised as good practice and were adopted for other major operations where appropriate."
Faced with the great challenge of the WTO Conference, Mr Suen required meticulous attention be given to every little detail. As a result, nine working groups were formed to take care of various aspects, such as transport, public relations, and support and catering, to ensure the best performance in every aspect.
For the first time the Force also set up a catering and support centre in the Harbour Road Sports Complex, which accommodated over 500 officers. On the other hand, manpower could also be mobilised from this centre to support officers on duty at the protest scenes outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Mr Suen recalled: "In view of the urgency of the situation, government departments demonstrated a strong spirit of co-operation by setting up an inter-departmental coordination centre to provide immediate support for frontline officers, and to respond to any emergencies within the shortest time."
As a matter of fact, the Force was doing its best. One year before the WTO Conference, a briefing session was held every three months to update officers at Inspectorate rank and above on the progress of preparation work. Contacts were maintained with different sectors of the community, particularly international enterprises and local shops that might be affected, with appropriate security advice being given. A contingency plan was worked out to carry delegates to the WTO Conference by sea in the event that land access was blocked by demonstrators.
Members of the Police Negotiation Cadre were mobilised for the first time, with those conversant in foreign languages maintaining contacts with, and explaining the laws of Hong Kong to, different protest groups. Cadre members also acted as negotiators, facilitating police deployments. "This new arrangement not only proved very effective at that time, but also later showed its value in other public order events," Mr Suen noted.
Officers remain steadfast
Mr Suen praised officers for remaining steadfast at their posts and doing their best to maintain law and order. "I realised that many officers at the frontline worked continuously for over 30 hours without any complaints. Over 100 officers were injured, and many of those treated in hospital and given sick leave chose instead to return to the frontline to work alongside their colleagues. I found this very touching.
"About 1 000 demonstrators were arrested. In view of this large number, many officers offered their meal boxes to the demonstrators. Although the offers were declined, as a supervisor I was proud of the officers' care for the demonstrators. As a matter of fact, we were equally professional in dealing with the WTO demonstrations and policing the Olympics Equestrian Events, winning praise from various quarters."
Mr Suen continued: "The joint effort by government departments to deal with major security activities often brought unexpected benefits. For example, in the face of major challenges, those departments remained united and resolved in getting the security job done, fully demonstrating the spirit of teamwork. We were very concerned about the prospect of overseas trouble-makers coming to Hong Kong to disrupt the Olympics Torch Relay in 2008, but fortunately the relay went off smoothly with the full co-operation of all the departments concerned."
Force subject to scrutiny
As public expectations of the Force grow, Mr Suen added, the Force meets an ever increasing challenge, and how it polices major public order events is subject to scrutiny, comments, praise and criticism by the media, politicians and members of the public, causing a lot of stress for officers. Discussing how best to handle demonstrations, he pointed out that officers should remain steadfast and strike a balance between maintaining law and order and allowing the expression of views.
He asked: "We received favourable comments from the public for the way we handled the WTO Conference and the Olympics Equestrian Events. Why are we criticised by some citizens and media when we use the same way to handle demonstrations that disrupt social order? In fact, some demonstrators, who resort to violence to express their demands, not only storm police cordon lines, but also obstruct traffic and seriously affect people's daily lives. Does this way of expressing demands deserve public recognition? In exercising their rights of assembly and free speech, have they considered the rights and freedom of other people?"
Mr Suen pointed out that very often a few demonstrators, provoke officers in an attempt to create incidents. However, much to his delight, officers exercise restraint under all circumstances. "I fully understand the difficulties officers come across, and I also know there are things that make them feel frustrated, but in the face of challenges, they come up with professional performances and stick to their posts to continue serving the community."
In conclusion, Mr Suen said he is confident that officers will support the Force's concept, and adopt successful strategies, when carrying out major security operations. They will perpetuate the professionalism of the Force to secure the continued support and respect of the community.
Mr
Suen
visited a venue of the East Asian Games in 2009