POLICE officers had been sacked because they were so badly in debt, the Commissioner of Police Li Kwan-ha admitted yesterday.
Mr Li assured legislators at yesterday's Public Accounts Committee hearing that the force took very strong disciplinary action, including dismissals, against debt-ridden officers, although he could not provide figures.
The assurance came amid revelations that nine out of 144 loanshark victims detected in the first 10 months of this year were policemen.
Last year, there were three out of 106 victims.
Mr Li said the information was gathered by the force internal investigations office and it was an indicator of the level of police officers' borrowing from illegitimate sources.
When asked by legislator Emily Lau Wai-hing if he would find ways to gauge the amount of loans borrowed by officers from loansharks, Mr Li said: ''It is like unreported crime. Unless there are good leaks . . . it's difficult to know.'' The Director of Audit Brian Jenney pointed out last week indebtedness among policemen was growing and criticised the force management for lacking co-ordination to prevent over-lending to officers.
Mr Li stressed the force never condoned indebtedness.