Addressing the last meeting in 2007 of the Force Steering Committee for the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events (the 2008 Events) on December 11, Director of Operations Tsang Wai-hung noted that although a number of challenges were overcome in 2007, notably the Good Luck Beijing - HKSAR 10th Anniversary Cup (the 2007 Event), there is still a great deal to be done, which will require a huge amount of hard work and determination in planning for the operation for the 2008 Events.

Mr Tsang pointed out that although the policing operation for the 2007 Event in August was successful, some areas had been identified where improvements could be made and that the Force was now hard at work to ensure that the lessons learnt from the 2007 Event are put to good use for next year's events.

He reminded the committee members that with little over seven months before commencement of the policing operation for the 2008 Events, there were still a number of areas that needed to be critically planned for, including provision of manpower, traffic and crowd management and maintenance of normal police services to the community.

Mr Tsang also highlighted the importance of the Olympic Torch Relay that will reach Hong Kong in May next year and informed members that by then the eyes of the world will be on Hong Kong. He also stressed the important role the Force has to play to ensure the relay will be held smoothly. As the Torch Relay is an integral part of the Olympics, there is no room for error in the way in which the relay would be policed, he added.

In closing, Mr Tsang emphasised to all committee members that the Force fully supports the hosting of the Equestrian Events in Hong Kong and is committed to playing its part in conjunction with partners in ensuring that the 2008 Events will be a resounding success.

In the coming seven months, he noted, the Force would face a number of challenges in planning for the hosting of the Olympics, though he is sure that with the continued support and co-operation of all Force members, the 2008 Events will be held smoothly in a safe and secure environment and all members of the Force would be able to look back with pride and satisfaction on the performance of the Force in policing the Events.

Director of Operations Tsang Wai-hung says the Force Steering Committee for the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events still has a big job in hand

• English version only