Hong Kong police urged to reveal guidelines on use of force to the public
Rights group claims there is a growing trend of officers abusing their power and that the police watchdog has failed in its role under new leader
The Hong Kong Police Force should disclose its guidelines on the use of force for public scrutiny, a human rights group says amid what it claims is a growing trend of power abuse.
In its annual report unveiled on Wednesday, the Police Powers Monitoring Group under the Civil Human Rights Front also accused the Independent Police Complaints Council of a complete failure to fulfil its role since pro-establishment solicitor Larry Kwok Lam-kwong took the helm in 2014.
The remarks come as tensions rise between protesters and the force, as highlighted in the Mong Kok riot in February in which police were pelted with broken bottles and bricks ripped up from pavements and one officer fired shots into the air.
“Police guidelines on the use of force should be monitored by the public,” the front’s convenor, Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit, said. “But currently even lawmakers have no idea [under what circumstances] when police can resort to force. It is unacceptable.”
Civic Party member Ken Tsang Kin-chiu, who was allegedly beaten by seven officers during the Occupy protests in 2014, said: “If people do not know about the guidelines, how would they know [the police] are not abusing their power?”
