Police fear chaos over Y2K bug panic
Panic over the Y2K issue is the main worry being addressed by preparations for possible millennium computer bug problems, a senior officer said yesterday.
Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Dick Lee Ming-kwai said the prospect of possible public chaos rather than the failure of the computer systems was causing the force most concern.
'My concern is about public confidence - that because of maybe one minor incident, people start to worry about Y2K, that their money in the bank cannot be withdrawn, or they can't get water and gas.' Mr Lee said even if computer systems did fail, the problem would only be temporary and there would be contingency measures to handle the situation.
He hoped the public could learn more about the Y2K issue.
The Government would make announcements urging people to stay calm if systems failed.
He said most government departments' computer systems were Y2K-compliant and a wide-ranging exercise on the millennium bug would be conducted among relevant emergency services departments in late November.
Mr Lee said the exercise, to be co-ordinated by the Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureau, would test computer systems and contingency plans.
He said the force was ready for the Y2K challenge and 95 per cent of the 14,000 uniformed officers would be on duty over the new year.
The police contingency plan to deal with the millennium bug also includes measures to ensure adequate communications and provision of electricity and fuel for the force to continue its operations.
