Hong Kong is turning into a police state as the separation of the force from politics becomes latest casualty of protests

Congratulations, Hong Kong government. Your inept handling of 18 weeks of protests is creating a police state. Enactment of emergency laws, using the force to silence opposition, is the latest progression.

But politicisation and the granting of stronger powers to officers inevitably leads to society’s kickback and that has dangerously taken shape through vigilante self-defence gangs and a militia movement. The more the city slides towards totalitarianism, the greater the violence, vandalism, looting and bloodshed. 

I’ve no idea if a police state is Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s intention. There are doubts as to whether she or Beijing is in charge. In most other parts of the world, mainland China included, a city so badly mismanaged as Hong Kong would have led to the resignation or removal of its leader. But Lam is still at the helm, duetting with Beijing in praising officers for their response to the actions of protesters.

But there is an obvious clue as to the endgame through the way police are being treated. They have been given free rein to enforce laws as they wish, had their calls for stronger powers granted and Carrie Lam’s administration has repeatedly rejected the demands of protesters, lawyers and journalists for a genuinely independent inquiry into alleged abuses.