The Scheme is a Government-led initiative implemented by the Hong Kong Police Force in collaboration with different Government Bureaux/ Departments, under the auspices of the Task Force on District Governance chaired by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration.
Purposes of the installation:
- Crime Prevention by deterring street crimes;
- Crime Detection by providing additional leads and valuable evidence to support case investigation and detection; and
- Preservation of Public Order and Public Safety by facilitating effective crowd management including the implementation of appropriate crowd control measures during public events.
How are the Installation Locations Selected?
- The crime rates and related data across different districts in Hong Kong; and
- The characteristics, pedestrian flow, risks and public order situation of the respective districts.
Benchmarking other Law Enforcement Agencies
The installation of CCTVs in public places has been widely and effectively adopted by law enforcement agencies across different jurisdictions, including but not limited to the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Japan, the Mainland China and Macao to assist law enforcement.
The purpose of installing CCTVs is to ensure public safety and enhance crime prevention and detection, which in turn will foster a safer and more secure community, and uphold Hong Kong's reputation as one of the safest and most stable societies in the world.
The table below outlines the numbers and density of CCTVs deployed in different jurisdictions:
Note：
1 With reference to publicly available information.
2 Singapore Police Force have installed about 90,000 CCTVs.
3 The Macao Unitary Police Service have installed about 1,700 CCTVs.
Privacy Protection
The CCTVs installed under this Scheme will only capture public places.
The Hong Kong Police Force has commissioned an independent consultancy to conduct the Privacy Impact Assessment for installing CCTVs in public places. The Hong Kong Police Force shall ensure the implementation of the Scheme is in strict compliance with relevant laws of Hong Kong, whilst maintaining close liaison with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data to ensure the public’s right to privacy is upheld.
Taking reference from international practices and the Guidance on CCTV Surveillance Practices issued by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, the Government shall display conspicuous notices in close proximity to the CCTVs, explicitly informing the public that the CCTVs are in operation.
Supervisory Measures
The Hong Kong Police Force shall adopt a set of comprehensive and robust internal guideline to ensure a rigorous monitoring standard for the supervision of the CCTV system.
Information Security
On information security, the Hong Kong Police Force has commissioned an independent consultancy to conduct the Security Risk Assessments and Audits for the system, with a view to ensuring the security of the infrastructure, hardware and software components and data transmission solutions supporting the system.
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