Letters | Hong Kong police need to make bar district feel truly safe
- “Devil’s Breath” scams in Wan Chai have seen victims losing a lot of money through no fault of their own. Police promised more action, but there appears to be little evidence of this on the streets
I write with regard to reports I have seen published on several news wires in the last couple of weeks which focus on a horrible scam that is currently prevalent in the Wan Chai district. The scam has resulted in several “Devil’s Breath” victims losing a lot of money through no fault of their own.
HSBC appear to be their typical selves in these instances and are offering no response to inquiries from the press, in addition to being similarly unhelpful to the victims. This should be of no surprise.
What is very worrying, though, is the apparent lack of action by the Hong Kong Police Force on this matter. Despite an article referencing a senior police officer admitting they could be doing more to combat such crimes, I see little evidence on the streets of them following up on their word.
Several months on from when these crimes took place, a wander along Lockhart Road, in particular close to its junction with Luard Road, would see you come across a gang of people who seem to be doing nothing more than “loitering with intent”.
Notwithstanding that the numbers very often constitute a breach of social distancing regulations on groups of people congregating, I find it astonishing that the police continue to allow these people to hang around this corner.
I would like to understand what the police are doing to combat crime in this district and in particular why they allow this “gang” to continue to loiter every night, when clearly they are an intimidating presence to most unassuming residents. I can only assume there is some triad involvement and thus it is perhaps more complicated. However, surely it is not that difficult to round up all those individuals concerned and get answers as to who they are ultimately working for?
As the pandemic seems to be largely under control, perhaps the police force would be better served trying to eliminate serious crimes taking place, as opposed to doing their nightly checks on the same establishments in the district to ensure there is not more than the permitted number sitting at a table. I certainly know which action would make me feel more comfortable.
Graeme Duncan, Jordan
