Concerted efforts are needed to end the siege at the Polytechnic University peacefully. Thankfully, this appears to be the case following a week-long stand-off between protesters and police. The situation inside the campus has become so worrying that the priority must be to rescue people still there. This requires not only a humanitarian approach from police, but also the cooperation of those remaining. After clashes at Chinese University in Sha Tin earlier this month, PolyU in Hung Hom turned into a battlefield 10 days ago. Although the former reopened on Monday, dozens are believed to be still inside PolyU, fearing they will be arrested on suspicion of rioting when they come out. With more than 1,000 people having already surrendered or been caught after leaving the premises, and no sign of police retreating, the physical and mental health of those left behind can be imagined. Some reportedly show signs of severe distress, refuse food and suffer from speech problems. Carrie Lam says police will not enter PolyU unless safety team fails Yesterday, a 50-member PolyU group made up of management, security guards, councillors and Red Cross doctors entered the campus in search of anyone who might still be hiding there. They split up into seven teams in an attempt to comb the 9.4-hectare campus. By 4pm, they found a woman who was said to be weak and emotionally unstable. Earlier, police said they were prepared to send a team comprising officers, negotiators, psychologists, school principals, social workers and members of the Independent Police Complaints Council to search the campus. They promised there would be no immediate arrests. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the police team would only be called upon if PolyU failed to convince those still inside to leave, saying the government did not want to raise tensions further. Such an undertaking is to be welcomed and provides a chance to end the stand-off peacefully. Anyone who breaks the law is expected to face the legal consequences, but given the deteriorating conditions on campus, humanitarianism has sensibly come before law enforcement. It is in the interest of the occupiers to come out so that the siege can be resolved.