Hong Kong police asked to explain why they failed to obtain footage of suspected wetland arson
Clip that emerged in local media shows two potential witnesses at scene, but force says it found no recording of incident in CCTV system
Hong Kong police were pressed on Wednesday to explain why they were unable to get CCTV footage documenting the early stages of a suspected arson case in an ecologically sensitive Yuen Long wetland earlier this month.
Police said they had obtained the CCTV system from the scene but returned it to the owner two days later after finding no footage of the incident.
However a recording obtained by investigative media outlet FactWire, published on Tuesday, showed a boat – moored at what appeared to be Nam Sang Wai ferry pier – going up in flames at around 3am on April 2.
At least two potential witnesses were seen in the clip over the next two hours, but records indicate they did not call police.
A senior police source at directorate rank said the police would handle the matter seriously if any human error on the force’s part was found in the case.
“It is unclear if our men had overlooked the footage when sweeping the system, or if the concerned footage was originally absent in the system,” the source said.
“Our Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau is taking a forensic examination of the system to trace the cyber footprint.”