Letters | Hong Kong’s slide down law and order ranking surprises none

Few Hongkongers were surprised by the collapse in Hong Kong’s ranking in Gallup’s latest Global Law and Order Index released late last month, with the reason for the shocking performance generally aligning with individual political views (“Hong Kong’s ranking in law and order index plunges from fifth place to 82nd”, October 29). To those pledging allegiance to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her government, social unrest is the cause of policing issues, while to those with opposing political opinions, police actions are at odds with the wishes of society.

While one may anticipate that the poor rating for 2019 would energise police attempts to restore its honour and dignity, the fanatical focus on national security, along with the zeal shown by both the government and police in its enforcement, make a strong case that the next rating, for 2020, might actually be worse.

Regrettably, allegations of police involvement in the “Hong Kong 12” case, and more recently the arrests of pro-democracy lawmakers and an investigative journalist, over a documentary by public broadcaster RTHK on last year’s July 21 Yuen Long MTR station mob attack, have angered society and vaporised most of the remaining trust in the force.

At the heart of the anger is the lack of satisfactory police ethics and integrity, which must be at the core of any organisation seeking public acceptance. The police code of ethics is positioned at the core of its policing philosophy and it has integrity officers who report directly to the commissioner, yet the magnitude of the force’s lack of ethical compliance is mind-boggling (“Security chief rejects accusation Hong Kong police have lied in protest cases”, November 4).

Ultimately, the secretary for security has responsibility for policing and, indisputably, John Lee Ka-chiu has failed in meeting his oversight obligations, rendering any talk of accountability farcical. With our economy in dire straits, Hong Kong’s attractiveness to investors is being diminished further by the ongoing policing controversies, which even the best public relations campaigns stand little chance of reversing.