Secretary for Security (S for S) Mr John Lee visited members of the Inter-departmental Counter-Terrorism Unit (ICTU) co-located at Police Headquarters on November 22 to show support for officers and observe the daily operation of ICTU.

During the visit, Mr Lee was first briefed on the progress of ICTU. Afterwards, he inspected the workplace of ICTU and met a cross-section of officers from six disciplined forces to discuss the daily work of ICTU.

Mr Lee commended all ICTU members for their dedication to, and professionalism in, ensuring that Hong Kong remains one of the safest cities in the world. Noting that the situation of global terrorism has become increasingly complex, Mr Lee shared his vision on ICTU, "Apart from enabling smooth collaboration among departments, the ICTU platform is expected to, more importantly, achieve synergy in such aspects as counter-terrorism intelligence, training and public education on emergency response, with a view to enhancing Hong Kong's counter-terrorism deployment in a comprehensive and holistic manner."

The ICTU was established on April 23 under the co-ordination of the Security Bureau. It comprises members from Hong Kong Police Force, Immigration Department, Customs and Excise Department, Correctional Services Department, Fire Services Department and Government Flying Service. It will complement the existing government structure on counter terrorism (CT) and is dedicated to enhancing the integration and analysis of CT intelligence, co-ordinating inter-departmental CT efforts and advising S for S on all CT-related matters.