Police arrested a 73-year-old man yesterday in connection with sex offences against four schoolgirls in Kwun Tong, but have been accused of compromising public safety by delaying warnings of the incidents. The man was arrested in Tsui Ping Road, Kwun Tong, by officers investigating an indecent assault on two of the schoolgirls on Tuesday and an attempted assault on the other two on Wednesday. The girls were aged between 12 and 17. Details were not disclosed until Saturday when police appealed for information to find the attacker. The Hong Kong Journalists Association accused the police of ignoring the safety of residents by delaying their warning about the offences. Similar criticism was raised earlier this month after investigators took six days to warn about knife attacks on four pedestrians in Tseung Kwan O. 'The government covers up such crimes in an attempt to use residents as bait to make arrest,' lawmaker Cyd Ho Sau-lan said. The chairman of the Police Inspectors Association, Chief Inspector Benjamin Tsang Chiu-fo, said police should treat public interest and safety as top priority. 'Regarding these two cases in Tseung Kwan O and Kwun Tong from the public point of view, I also feel that it is difficult to understand,' he said, adding that he was 'a bit unhappy' about the delay. Tsang said police should start to discuss with the media how to disclose information on crime cases. But he thought a manpower shortage in the Police Public Relations Branch, rather than political reasons, might be a factor. Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong said police had not intended to cover up any information but admitted there was room for improvement in the way police released crime information. He said a balance had to be struck between public safety, privacy concerns and whether releasing information would undermine inquiries. 'If investigations hinder the safety of the public, of course, public safety will come first,' he said. Last night, the suspect was being detained in Kwun Tong police station and had not been charged. An investigator said the elderly man would take part in an identity parade today. The first attack took place outside Tsui Ping Market on Tsui Ping Road at about 8am last Tuesday when two girls were on the way to school. Next day, another two girls were attacked outside Tsui Nam House in Tsui Ping North Estate at about 5pm. Police said this attack was unsuccessful. The incidents were reported to police on Thursday night.