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The Hong Kong Police Force ( since 1997 ) is the Police force of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic Of China . It is the successor of the former '''Royal Hong Kong Police Force''' () which existed from 1969 to 1997 . It is under the direction of the Secretary For Security who heads the Security Bureau . OVERVIEW The Hong Kong Police Force has distinguished itself as one of the oldest yet most modern police forces in the world. Formed in 1842 with a total strength of 35, the force evolved from an extremely broad-based role (with responsibilities that included firefighting, prisons, and immigration), to that of a traditional police service, with only Law Enforcement responsibilities. As Of November 2004 , the Force had a strength of 26,787; 86.9% of officers were men and 13.1% were women officers. It also had a backup of 5,088 civilian staff. The Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force was originally formed in 1914 as a reserve to assist in times of natural disaster or civil emergency. As Of November 1 , 2004 , 4,108 volunteer citizens supported the regular force to perform crowd control duties at public events and festivals. The ability to assist during times of emergency is retained. Police in Hong Kong operate within the traditional constabulary concept of preserving life and property, preventing and detecting crime and keeping the peace, with a strong emphasis on enlisting community support. In times of emergency the force has a Paramilitary capability. HISTORY – 1997 ]] On (later replaced by the Kepi ), the Indians wore the Turban , and the Chinese wore a form of straw hat. All of them, however, shared the same green uniform. These are best described by a well-known Cantonese phrase. : ABCD, 大頭綠衣, 捉人唔到, 猛吹BB! Which translates to: : ABCD, Big Head turban , Green Coat (combined, the entire phrase means ''police''), Can't catch the person thief , Keeps blowing the Whistle ! Up until December 2004 , the HK Police summer uniform was still Khaki green, with the winter uniform being dark blue). A new blue all-year uniform has now been adopted for Non-commissioned Officers (NCOs) ranking from constable to Sergeant . Station sergeants and all Commissioned Officer s wear white uniforms. At first the police officers were unarmed, but they were soon issued with firearms. Over the years, the proportion of Chinese staff within the HK Police has increased, although for many decades the senior leadership remained exclusively British. Female police officers were introduced soon after World War II . From 1942 to 1944 , the force was suspended and policing was performed by the Japan ese Kempeitai and Gendarmerie . During the 1950s and the 1960s many officers were openly corrupt; attempts to stamp out Corruption had largely failed, until the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption Of Hong Kong (ICAC) in 1974 . Since then, the HK Police has consistently been ranked one of the "cleanest" in Asia , probably second only to Singapore . One of the most astonishing corruption cases was the Godber case in 1973 . Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Peter Fitzroy Godber , in contrast to his heroic work on the front lines of the 1967 Riots , was found to have acquired a fortune of HK$ 4,377,248 (about US$ 600,000). When the police attempted to arrest Godber, he made use of a special police permit which enabled him to evade Immigration control and escape to Singapore on June 8 . In response to a public outcry, the Hong Kong Government established the ICAC to combat corruption. Godber was extradited from England to stand trial and was sentenced to 4 years in prison {Link without Title} . In 1967 , at the time of the Cultural Revolution in China , Left-wing workers instigated long and bloody Riots . The HK Police lost ten men during the turnmoil. For its efforts in suppressing the riots in 1967 , the HK Police were granted the "Royal" prefix in 1969 ; this makes the Royal Hong Kong Police one of only five forces in the Commonwealth Of Nations which have received this honour. The prefix was dropped only after 1 July , 1997 when China resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong. The force has since been renamed Hong Kong Police. STRUCTURE The Force is commanded by the Commissioner of Police who is assisted by two deputy Commissioners. One deputy Commissioner supervises all operational matters and the other is responsible for the direction and coordination of the management of the Force, including personnel, training and management services. The Force Headquarters is made up of five departments:
For day-to-day policing, the Force is organised into six regions:
The Regions are largely autonomous in their day-to-day operation and management matters, and each has its own headquarters, which comprises administration and operation wings, and traffic and criminal investigation units. Each region is divided into districts and divisions and in a few cases sub-divisions. Currently there are 23 districts. The policing of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the main towns of the New Territories follows a similar pattern. Responsibility for law and order on the MTR Underground Railway , which runs through several police districts, is vested in the Mass Transit Railway District. The Marine Region, with a fleet of over 145 launches and craft, patrols some 1,850 Km&2 of waters within Hong Kong including the busy harbour and 244 outlying islands. This involves the control of some 13,000 local craft, pleasure boats and ferries and a maritime population of 14100. Shore patrols are regularly mounted to maintain contact with inhabitants of small islands and isolated communities. In addition to normal policing functions, the Marine Police fleet is also responsible for maintaining effective law and order within Hong Kong waters with particular emphasis on countering illegal immigration and smuggling at sea. Marine Region is also one of the main agencies in the Hong Kong search and rescue organisation geared towards maritime operations both within and outside Hong Kong waters. Operations Force operational matters are coordinated by the Operations Department, which comprises two wings, a traffic headquarters and six regions. The department is charged with the formulation and implementation of policies, the monitoring of activities and the efficient deployment of personnel and resources. The Operations Wing coordinates counter terrorism, internal security, anti-illegal immigration measures, bomb disposal commitments and contingency planning for natural disasters and is also responsible for the Police Dog Unit. The Police Tactical Unit (PTU) has an establishment of six companies comprising 1020 officers. Under each company (Under the command of a Superintendent ), there are 4 platoons. Led by an Inspector or Senior Inspector, a platoon comprises 32 Officers with 1 Station Sergeant (senior NCO) and 8 Sergeants. The PTU provides an immediate manpower reserve for use in any emergency. PTU companies are attached to all land Regions and are available for internal security, crowd management, anti-crime operations and disaster response duties throughout Hong Kong. The PTU also provides up-to-date instruction and training in internal security and crowd management techniques for a wide cross-section of Force members. The Anti-Illegal Immigration Control Centre is responsible for collecting intelligence and monitoring operations in respect of illegal immigrants from the Mainland and Vietnam . The Support Wing oversees the execution and staffing of operational support matters, including the formulation of operational policies for both the regular and auxiliary forces. It is also responsible for the various licensing functions of the Force. The coordination of all Public Relations activities is arranged through the Police Public Relations Branch. The Traffic Headquarters is responsible for formulating Force priorities, policies and procedures on traffic matters, coordinates their implementation and monitors their effects. It processes all traffic prosecutions and collects and maintains traffic-related data. The Traffic Headquarters offers advice on Traffic Management matters, monitors local traffic schemes and new major infrastructure projects. It also formulates, supports and monitors road safety educational and enforcement programmes. The Transport Division is responsible for the management and deployment of the Force vehicle fleet of approximately 2,400 vehicles, the driver establishment and the acquisition of new police vehicles. It also administers all policy matters relating to police transport requirements. Crime and security of the MTR .]] The Crime and Security Department is responsible for the force policy regarding the investigation of crimes and matters of a security nature. Crime Wing consists of a number of operational bureaux and specialized units. The operational bureaux deal with specific areas of criminal activity whereas the specialised units provide support services to operational units in the force and deal with policy matters on various issues including child abuse, domestic violence and witness protection. The Security Wing provides VIP protection and security co-ordination, including counterterrorism. The Organised Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB; also known as "O記") investigates major Organised and serious crime involving all types of activities such as Theft / Smuggling of vehicles, Human Trafficking , Firearm s, Vice , Debt collection, syndicated Gambling and Extortion . It also investigates Triad societies and their hierarchies with particular emphasis on their involvement in organised crime. The Criminal Intelligence Bureau (CIB) is the Force's central coordinating body for Intelligence on crime and criminality which, after analysis and assessment, is disseminated to crime investigation units as required. In addition, the CIB works closely with the OCTB and other Crime Wing bureaux in tackling triad and organised crime syndicates. To strengthen the criminal intelligence capability within the Force, the Bureau also organises related training courses and seminars for investigators. The Commercial Crime Bureau investigates serious commercial and business Fraud , Computer-related Crime s, the Forgery of monetary instruments, Identity Document s and Payment Cards , and the Counterfeiting of currency and coins. It liaises very closely with International Law Enforcement Agencies on exchange of intelligence and in actioning requests for investigation from other jurisdictions alleging criminal conduct in relation to commercial transactions. The Narcotics Bureau investigates serious drug cases such as importation and manufacture of illicit drugs, and gathers intelligence in relation to major drug activities. It also conducts investigations in partnership with overseas law enforcement agencies whenever there is a Hong Kong connection to international Drug Trafficking . The Bureau is also responsible for financial investigations arising out of the Drug Trafficking (Recovery of Proceeds) Ordinance, Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance and the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinance. The Liaison Bureau coordinates all police-related inquiries from overseas police organisations and local consular officials. It also represents the force in Interpol (the International Criminal Police Organization or ICPO) as a sub-bureau of the China National Central Bureau. |
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