A delegation from Railway District (RAILDIST), led by District Commander Tam Chak-hang, visited five police units in New Jersey and New York as well as the Transport Security Administration of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington and New York from December 9 to 13. 

 

The goal of the five-day study visit was to share experience in railway policing, planning and management, with focus on crowd management, and in mounting anti-crime and anti-terrorism operations.

 

Accompanied by officers of the Department of the Homeland Security and the National Transportation Safety Board, the delegation toured the New York Police Department, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police, Port Authority Trans-Hudson Police, Amtrak Police and New Jersey Transit Police.

 

New York, the seventh most densely populated city in the US, has a population of over 20 million. Its subway system has an average daily passenger volume of more than five million, which is comparable with that of Hong Kong. However, its railway and subway networks are much larger and more complicated.

 

The New York City Subway system has 468 stations and a track of over 1,300 km and is operated by several railway companies, some of which have designated police units.  Co-operation, communication and coordination in resources among the units are therefore very important.  Since the "911" terrorist attack, the police units in New York, state governments and the Federal Government have introduced advanced technologies and anti-terrorism strategies to protect life and property in the city. These new policing concept and technologies provide a good reference to the Railway District.