Letters | Don’t blame Hong Kong police for the city’s problems: blame the ruling elite

The police need to admit their mistakes and stop blustering. Equally, the protesters need to show courageous restraint

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Police stand guard on a footbridge leading to the Legislative Council on June 13, a day after violent clashes over the extradition bill. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 1:05pm, 27 Jun 2019Updated: 1:05pm, 27 Jun 2019

A police officer faced with a volatile situation has a duty to be cool, self-disciplined and intelligent – to control and de-escalate the situation. We expect exemplary behaviour from our police officers, who were selected for – and trained in – physical courage and mental fortitude. Some officers failed in this regard recently, absolutely, but the vast majority of our police officers behaved with composure and courageous restraint.

The police need to admit their mistakes and stop blustering. It isn’t a question of saving face but doing what is right – swiftly and boldly. Some officers used inappropriate force and they need to be quickly investigated and disciplined. They should do community service as penance and reconnect with the community they serve.

Equally, the protesters need to show courageous restraint. Those who threaten police officers’ families online are as insidious as the regime we fear. If the police have the integrity to admit their mistakes, we should forgive them for their inexperience in dealing with confrontation – they aren’t used to it. We Hongkongers are nice people, we don’t riot!

Fighting the police is a tactical error. The police didn’t make the extradition law; the police don’t manipulate real estate prices; the police don’t control our media to make us buy products or force political orders down our throats. The politicians and tycoons control our society; it is they who collude with Beijing to protect their power and make the rich richer.

The police are Hongkongers, they are not the People’s Liberation Army – thankfully. They are our brothers, sisters, uncles and aunties and we need them to serve and protect the people. The police deserve censure but they are not the enemy. The ruling elite are the ones responsible for Hong Kong’s troubles and they should be the focus of the people’s anger and demands.