Operations Wing and Security Wing jointly organised, for the first time, a three-day counter-terrorism (CT) training course for the government member departments of the Counter Terrorism Emergency Coordination Team (CTECT) from November 26 to 28. The training course has effectively enhanced understanding of the CT duties undertaken by member departments and strengthened inter-departmental communication, coordination and response capability in CT.
The CTECT, chaired by Deputy Commissioner (Operations) Lo Wai-chung, is a dedicated CT forum for senior government officials with CT roles to formulate and coordinate effective CT operational strategy for territory-wide security.
Participating in the training course were representatives from CTECT member departments: Fire Services Department, Immigration Department, Customs and Excise Department, Civil Aviation Department, Marine Department and the Force. Representatives from Correctional Services Department were also present by invitation.
At the opening of the training course, Acting Assistant Commissioner (Operations) Au Yeung Chiu-kong pointed out that terrorism threatened safety of the world. Whilst Hong Kong was safe and stable, it was necessary for every government department to remain vigilant and get well prepared. With the Force being at the forefront in CT, collaboration among government departments was essential to effectively implementing the CT Plan for the safety of Hong Kong, he said.
The training course mainly comprised presentations by Force CT units, group discussions, sharing sessions on departmental duties in CT, and visits to Force CT facilities. The representatives also participated in tabletop exercises of terrorist incidents to further improve inter-departmental coordination.
The feedback from the representatives is positive. At the conclusion of the training course, Police Headquarters Senior Superintendent (Operations) Lam Chun-ming described the course as "a milestone" and encouraged the representatives to continue their departmental CT efforts to ensure Hong Kong remains one of the safest and most stable cities in the world.
