To ensure sufficient manpower for all EAG-related events as well as to maintain normal police services, the Committee has also decided to request the Formation Commanders to exercise proper leave management during the operation period which has been set from November 28 to December 16. However, there is no plan to impose leave restriction at this stage.

In addition, Guiding Principles for policing of the EAG have also been devised and issued to all stakeholders to assist them in planning for the EAG whilst ensuring a consistent policing strategy, police tactics and treatment, as well as effective communications within and outwith the Force.

As the Chairman of the EAG FSC, D OPS Koo Sii-hong paid visits to all EAG competition venues in various Regions, meeting the frontline Commanders who were responsible for the planning and preparation at working level between April and June, which gave him a good appreciation of the venues and challenges ahead. He noted the very good preparation work and significant progress achieved by the respective Districts in formulating policing plans and appreciated their efforts in advising the East Asian Games (Hong Kong) Limited (EAGHKL) regarding their Contingency Plans.

Apart from the Regions, other Major Formations including Information Systems Wing (ISW) and Crime Wing, are also actively involved in the planning and preparation of the Games. ISW is at the moment coordinating and prioritising the Information and Communications Technology user requirements of the Regions whilst Crime Wing is devising the Standard Operating Procedures of Crime units deployment, providing advice to the EAGHKL in preparing the information security guidelines and conducting security reviews on certain EAG-related venues.

In preparation for the EAG to be held at the end of this year, the participating sports associations and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department have been holding trial runs on the various sports grounds concerned since February this year, which aims at acquiring experience and refining arrangements so that the various events of the EAG can be held smoothly, for example, the opening ceremony of the 2nd Hong Kong Games (HKG) which was held on May 9 on the newly completed Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground, the major competition venue for the track and field events of the EAG. The event offered a valuable opportunity for the organiser, relevant government departments and groups to carry out venue testing and procedure review, for the competition events. That evening, officers from Tseung Kwan O Division, Traffic Kowloon East and Kwun Tong District Traffic Team also participated in the crowd management and traffic control operations of the HKG opening ceremony. Prior arrangements were made for the arrival and departure of more than 6,000 spectators and performers to ensure the smooth conduct of the ceremony. At the same time, the officers also took this opportunity to evaluate the arrangements for improvements.

The opening ceremony of the 2nd Hong Kong Games on the Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground offers a valuable opportunity for carrying out venue testing for the EAG