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SCMP Reporter

A POLICE constable who stole a sub-machine-gun, two pistols and almost 400 rounds of ammunition was captured in Kowloon City early today.

  Police had been hunting Kwong Sze-wing, a 26-year-old constable described as ''extremely dangerous'', since the theft from a Sai Kung armoury was discovered at 8 am yesterday.

 Kwong was arrested at 1.15 am when a team of eight Special Duties officers noticed a man acting suspiciously in a park near the Kowloon Walled City.

  The plain clothes officers, patrolling Carpenter Road Park, believed Kwong was a drug addict and approached him.

  He put up a struggle and was subdued. He was carrying a black bag which contained a fully-loaded .38 revolver and 14 rounds of ammunition. One round of ammunition for the sub-machine-gun was also found.

  The officers arrested him and took him to Kowloon City police station. At 2.30 am, he was being questioned by Organised Crime and Triad Bureau investigators.

  Police were searching the park for the sub-machine-gun and other missing weapons and ammunition.

  Investigators were uncertain why Kwong had stolen the weapons but believed that, as he was known to be a heavy gambler, he might have been under pressure from loansharks, or seeking retribution against them.

  Police motorcyclists had distributed photographs of the maverick Marine Police constable, who worked in the armoury at marine headquarters at Tui Min Hoi in Sai Kung.

  Police had given his capture top priority and 80 detectives from the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau were assigned to investigate his disappearance.

  Kwong was said to have three known addresses. Officers found out his parents were in China and his former wife had moved out of their quarters in Kwai Chung with her two sons.

  There was no official statement by the force management on Kwong's actions or the circumstances in which Kwong could have removed such a large arsenal from the armoury without authorisation.

  After finishing his shift at about 7 am, Kwong apparently left the armoury with two .38 service revolvers and an ageing Sterling sub-machine-gun.

  Also missing were 40 rounds of ammunition for the .38 revolvers, 233 new ''hollow-point'' rounds for the newer model and 120 9-millimetre rounds for the sub-machine-gun.

  Police became aware the arms and ammunition were missing shortly after 8 am when another officer who took over from Kwong found keys to the armoury missing.

  At noon, police found Kwong's van in Wing Lai Road opposite Tseung Kwan O village, where police believed one of his relatives lived.

  Inside were Kwong's police uniform and a key chain holding five keys, two of which were for the armoury.

  More than 40 Police Tactical Unit (PTU) officers, in bullet-proof vests and carrying high-powered rifles, swarmed into Tseung Kwan O before dispersing into smaller groups for a house-to-house search.

  With colleagues covering their blind side, teams edged warily from door to door.

  A Government Flying Services helicopter buzzed overhead and police dogs went through the van and searched the undergrowth.

  Householders, ill at ease with the large police presence, opened their doors to the knocks of the PTU members before stepping aside to let the armed police in.

  The search in Tseung Kwan O was stood down at 6 pm yesterday, but officers had said they were exploring the possibility the constable had made his getaway in a blue Honda.

  Later in the evening, police dressed in bullet-proof vests swept through Pui O on Lantau Island, although it was not clear whether Kwong had been sighted there.

  The officers knocked on the doors of the usually sleepy village and checked many holiday homes.

  The police have a recreation club on Lantau, next to the Mui Wo Government Office at Ngan Kwong Wan (Silvermine Bay) Road.

  Soon after the armoury theft was discovered, the Director of Operations, Senior Assistant Commissioner Peter Lee Lam-chuen, ordered a news blackout.

  He ordered that nothing be mentioned on police radios about the search for Kwong or the missing weapons.

  It was suggested that officers be told to telephone their units or divisions for an urgent message, or supervisory officers go out to inform officers working on the street.

  Considering the seriousness of the theft, Kowloon West regional commander, Assistant Commissioner Toby Emmet, decided to broadcast a warning to all beat officers on their radios to alert them to the danger.

  ''I panicked when I heard the news. I've been in the force for 20 years but I've never come across or had to deal with something like this before,'' one senior officer said.

  ''I think it's a very serious case and it is very worrying because the potential to get things wrong is great. Who can say what he has on his mind.''   Although there was no clear motive for Kwong taking the weapons, one officer said he hoped the constable was not ''crazy enough to start a war somewhere''.

  ''If he wants to commit suicide, one revolver is enough. If he wants to stage a robbery, one revolver is enough. If he wants to assassinate somebody, an AR-15 [assault rifle] is better.

  ''Personally, I don't believe the arsenal is destined to be sold to criminals, many of whom have access to more powerful weapons, such as AK-47s from the mainland,'' he said.

  Sterling sub-machine-guns have been used since World War II, but are now considered obsolete and are mainly used for training purposes.



ROGUE COP CAPTURED