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 QRF NTN officers checking for illegal workers at a huge construction site in Fanling |
The trial amalgamation of the Field Patrol Detachment within New Territories North Region
begun last December with the Quick Reaction Force has seen more effective anti-illegal immigration
policing and deployment of resources within NTN Region.
OFFICERS of the number one platoon of the Quick Reaction Force New Territories North (QRF NTN), have cordoned off a construction site in Fanling and are beginning their sweep and search operation for illegal immigrants, overstayers, and two-way permit holders from the mainland who have breached their conditions of stay by illegally working on the site. |
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These officers are from the PTU Victor Company which disbanded in December 1997 and went en masse into QRF as part of the first phase of the Force's amalgamation of the Field Patrol Detachment with Border District. With amalgamation, PTU is being phased out of performing FPD duties. In the past PTU companies were rotated through PTU Field Patrol Detachment (FPD) duties on a four-month attachment with the final month spent as a QRF, resulting in a significant drain on resources with problems of overlapping commands. After complete amalgamation, the PTU manpower held for the FPD will be deployed as the QRF and within the three Divisions of the present Border District. Each of the three Border Divisions at Man Kam To, Sha Tau Kok, and Lok Ma Chau Sectors are in the process of absorbing one PTU company's worth of personnel. Last month, in the second phase of amalgamation, the Ta Kwu Ling Division absorbed the anti-illegal immigrants duties normally performed by PTU's Alpha Company at Man Kam To. Phase three and final phase four will see Foxtrot Company then X-ray Company going over to Sha Tau Kok and Lok Ma Chau Sectors in July and October respectively. The combining of FPD with Border District will see officers now working 18 months on the amalgamated FPD with training being taken over and provided in-house by Border District. The changes are providing an enhanced command structure at the border, continuity of postings and more flexible, co-ordinated and effective deployment of resources within the District. Said SSP QRF NTN Steve Evans: "In the pre-amalgamation period, as a QRF, the 170 strong Police Tactical Unit (PTU) Victor Company while working at the QRF made 201 arrests in a month while the present QRF NTN, comprising only 129 members of the same PTU Company arrested 242 persons in February this year alone." (The difference in manpower is because one platoon of Victor Company has been absorbed into Yuen Long District to carry out anti-II duties at Tsim Bei Tsui). Even so, for the officers of number one platoon of the Quick Reaction Force New Territories North, sweeping a gigantic construction site is never easy. As they move from labourer to labourer checking IDs, they do so amid sharp and hazardous piles of building material strewn everywhere. Meanwhile, construction work continues all around them; wires, pipes and steel girders dangle precariously around their heads; freshly dug holes are left open and gaping; huge cement-mixers and other vehicles pull in and out around them; and recent rains have made the site a field of mud. It's dark, dank and the noise deafening. "Searching for IIs on the 20th floor of an open construction site can be a scary experience," says CIP QRF NTN Jason Cheung Yiu-sang. "And illegal workers tend to hide in the most unimaginable places. It can also be difficult to prove whether or not a person has breached conditions of stay by working illegally if we come upon them and they insist that they aren't working. Sometimes other construction workers on site even alert illegal workers to our presence and help them hide." But with the economic downturn, local workers aren't as tolerant as they once were of illegal labourers who may be willing to work for a lot less. "On one occasion a legitimate construction worker came up to one of our officers and whispered: 'There's another illegal immigrant hiding in Block 6'," said Superintendent Evans. SP Evans, who has led the NTN Quick Reaction Force since amalgamation commenced, has experienced its benefits first-hand: "In the past, officers were only here for a few months. Co-ordination in performing anti-II work in the sectors was hampered by the frequent turnover of FPD personnel. The continuity factor now is a bonus. Our officers get a lot of intelligence from police sources at ground level, as well as friends, relatives and people they meet on the street. We are NTN, and the majority of our officers live up here. They are familiar with the area and its people. Most of our operations are intelligence-based." | |
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Although the number of IIs from the mainland has been on a downward trend since 1993 (17,819 illegal immigrants were arrested in 1997, a decrease of over 23 per cent when compared with 23,180 in 1996), the percentage of IIs from northern provinces of the mainland is on the increase. Because of language and cultural difficulties many cannot find jobs in Hong Kong and are under pressure to commit crimes, although the crime ratio to IIs is pretty low. The new trend is for two-way permit holders from the mainland who come to the HKSAR as tourists or to visit relatives to overstay or breach their conditions of stay by working illegally. |  SP Evans and his QRF officers on a sweep of a small village |
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"We find a tremendous number of 'Breaches of Conditions of Stay' working on building sites. They are the majority of our arrests," says SP Evans. "But we're still getting IIs and overstayers - the prosecution of whom is done by the Immigration Department. We're doing more joint operations with the Immigration Department. They've given us a lot of support for which we are very thankful." The Quick Reaction Force is analogous to task force sub-units in Divisions and Districts which can be used for additional manpower. As such the QRF can be called upon to reinforce the border fence or be sent to an area where there is an influx of IIs. "Although we operate in NTN, if other formations from other regions want us to assist them we will," said CIP Jason Cheung Yiu-sang, "Recently we helped Marine Headquarters in three typhoon shelter operations." SP Evans: "We deploy our three platoons to provide the same coverage over the three NTN Districts. But if there's a particular problem in one, then we'll push our coverage there. Our main job is to deal with immigration related offences, but we'll take anything else that comes our way - normal crimes, attempted burglary, thefts, etc. At the same time, we'll be carrying out recces and will attack various targets we believe to be II-related. We get a tremendous amount of information coming from the bottom up rather from the top down." The new QRF is more effective in performance because it consists of officers formerly attached to the PTU who are experienced in border policing and familiar with the area and its inhabitants and therefore have better intelligence and improved liaison with Districts in anti-II related matters. But improved intelligence and liaison doesn't stop at the local level. "Amalgamation has seen our liaison with the mainland become better than ever - which also factors into why numbers of IIs in Hong Kong are down," said Border District SSP OPS Les Burton. "Our SSP Admin & Support is the Force liaison officer who has meetings at least once a week with our counterparts on the other side of the border. His assistant deals directly with our colleagues at the Lo Wu crossing. A third liaison officer deals specifically with matters of illegal immigration. Through those channels we can make use of information and intelligence and pass it quickly to the authority on the other side." In a recent incident when a member of a group of IIs was arrested and found to be carrying bag containing imitation firearms, although his cohorts escaped back into the mainland, the message was immediately sent across to the other side where members of the Peoples' Armed Police quickly arrested them." | |
 QRF NTN officers arrest two "breach of conditions of stay" on a small construction site |
Before amalgamation, PTU companies attached to Border District worked 24 hours on, 48 hours off. Today, QRF work a 5-day, 48-hour week. And with officers no longer required to work overtime, not only can they plan regular lifestyles, it is also resulted in huge Government savings in overtime. Moreover, all Border District personnel will eventually be residents in or near the Region, saving travelling time from home to work. "With the more flexible, co-ordinated and effective deployment of manpower resources within the Border District, it is less expensive to run the revised QRF," Mr Burton added. |
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Said SP Evans: "People are ringing us up who are trying to find a place in the QRF. Officers in NTN want to work here. The morale of QRF officers has never been higher nor better motivated." Meanwhile, in a small village a few kilometres away from where QRF platoon number one have been sweeping the Fanling construction site, officers of QRF number two platoon have finished an intelligence-based search operation which turned up a couple of mainland men who have breached their conditions of stay by illegally working on a small building site. "Although we are part of China, the border remains a very important aspect of policing in the HKSAR in terms of maintaining stability and confidence," said SSP Burton. "Although figures are down, the potential for a major influx of IIs is always there - which is why we must remain vigilant." But that doesn't mean the job can't get emotionally tough at times for frontline Border District officers. Said SP Evans: "You find some woman in the market who is an II or an overstayer who has two kids here and you know that by arresting her you're breaking up the family - that's always been the downside of this job. Most illegal immigrants come here for family or economic reasons. They're not criminals per se, they are just trying to better themselves. As a police officer you have to build up a resistance to that part of the job. You have to." | |
