Policeman with debts of $800,000 commits suicide

A veteran policeman with debts of over $800,000 leapt to his death from a police block in San Po Kong yesterday - the second officer to commit suicide in eight days.

Constable Lee Fung-hung, 52, attached to the police dog unit, was found lying outside the force's Kai Tak operational base in Concorde Road at about 5am. He was certified dead at the scene.

Preliminary investigation showed that he jumped out of a sixth-floor window of the building, which is partly occupied by officers from the Kowloon East regional crime unit. His office is in the adjoining block.

A suicide note was found on the sixth floor saying he had debt problems, a police spokeswoman said. However, officials have not disclosed the nature of the debts.

A search was mounted on Monday after the handler failed to report for duty at the dog unit's Kai Tak operations base about 7am.

Unit head Chief Inspector Charles Kong Cheuk-chau said Lee, who had been with the police dog unit for more than 20 years, had no known history of getting into debt trouble.

Describing the constable as a 'good and responsible officer', Inspector Kong said Lee had neither reported to the force that he had financial problems nor sought counselling before the death.