Police officers charged a security guard and issued warnings to 44 others for failing to perform their duties in an undercover operation, it was disclosed yesterday.
In the operation, codenamed 'Silverstone', undercover officers posing as visitors went to 837 residential and commercial buildings to check on the performance of 852 security guards.
Of these, 353 guards were given an appreciation notice for doing their jobs well, 454 were up to standard, but 44 were warned and their security firms notified. One guard was charged for failing in his duties after he was found sleeping at his post.
The week-long operation ended yesterday.
Chief Inspector Shannon Chan Fung-ling, of the police's crime prevention office, said most of the guards who were warned made the mistake of letting in strangers without checking and recording their names and ID cards.
The maximum penalty for a security guard guilty of misconduct is a $10,000 fine and three months' jail.