Hong Kong police chief vows zero tolerance for misconduct in force amid sharp rise in officer arrests

Integrity is core value, he says, and 99.9 per cent very committed to their duties

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In the first half of the year, one Hong Kong policeman was arrested on average per week for a crime of some kind. Photo: Edward Wong

Published: 2:44pm, 23 Jun 2018Updated: 3:49pm, 23 Jun 2018

Hong Kong’s police chief vowed zero tolerance for any code of conduct violations by officers as the integrity of the 30,000-member force was called into question with a rising number of arrests in its ranks.

Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo Wai-chung also pledged transparency in disclosing information to the public relating to such misconduct or crimes.

Lo’s strong remarks came after the Post reported last week that an increasing number of police officers had been arrested. In the first half of the year, one Hong Kong policeman was arrested on average per week for a crime of some kind.

They also followed news on Friday that a female model complained about a police constable harassing her after taking her mobile number during an identity check. She claimed the officer had called her and sent her WhatsApp messages, saying he liked her a lot and wanted to develop a relationship.

Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo Wai-chung says integrity is a core value of the force. Photo: Edward Wong

Police are investigating the case, and the constable is now on leave.

Addressing the Post’s question about the force’s challenges, Lo stressed on Saturday that integrity was a core value. He reiterated four times it would not tolerate any officers committing a crime or a disciplinary offence.