Hong Kong police ‘take animal abuse as seriously as murder’ despite low conviction rate
Of 60 to 80 cases each year, only 30 to 40 per cent lead to convictions
Hong Kong police have insisted their specialist teams investigating animal abuse take the crimes “as seriously as murder”, despite less than half of cases ending in a conviction.
A senior inspector said the offences they deal with can be hard to prove.
The force launched its Animal Watch Scheme in 2011 to coordinate investigations into animal abuse. Fourteen dedicated teams, composed mainly of inspectors from the criminal investigation department, were also set up to handle cases.
But animal abuse often happens without witnesses, making prosecutions more difficult, one officer said. Acting senior superintendent Dennis Cheng Wai-kin said of an average of 60 to 80 abuse cases each year, only 30 to 40 per cent lead to successful convictions.
Between 2014 and 2017, an average of only 31 people were arrested over the abuse each year.
“But I can assure you these officers treat these cases as seriously as murder,” Cheng said.