DCP OPS Peter Wong and RC HKI Leung Chi-bun get a rundown of the evening's operations

Order was upheld, trouble was avoided and more than a million Hong Kongers safely celebrated the dawning of the next millennium with street celebrations on New Year's Eve.

Some 14,000 officers including about 2,300 Auxiliaries controlled revellers in major areas such as Lan Kwai Fong, Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui as they counted down to midnight to ring in a new era.

Commissioner of Police Eddie Hui Ki-on issued a PEN message thanking all staff for their top job on the night and wished them happiness in the new millennium.

"Hong Kong has moved peacefully into the new millennium and the Force has contributed to a significant extent to this success by policing all major public events and taking a series of precautions against possible problems caused by the rollover," Mr Hui said.

"I have witnessed the first-class performance of officers on the frontline as well as those playing support roles behind the scenes. Officers' dedication and professionalism have once again won great credit for the Force."

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Information Systems) Peter Halliday said all essential Force systems rolled over into 2000 without fault and he hailed the efforts of technical staff who worked on Y2K compliance.

Although there were two minor glitches during the rollover, they were related to non-essential systems. Electronic breathalysers had problems with the loading of birthdates and were now being rectified by the manufacturers. Mr Halliday said another minor glitch occurred with electronically-produced food vouchers for detainees. However, the work-around was easy and the fault was quickly sorted. "Whilst we approached the rollover with confidence, there was still an air of tension in the Y2K Control Centre and the rollover through midnight was quite an emotional moment. We then did all the necessary checks and status reports were all favourable giving a great air of jubilation," Mr Halliday said.

"Y2K was a real problem which needed real attention and we are extremely pleased and grateful for the enormous amount of work done by the technical staff in the Information Technology and Communications Branches."