Hong Kong police guidelines on live rounds usage relaxed earlier this year, with options of anti-riot weapons expanded
- Lawmaker expresses concern revisions will allow officers to increase their use of force
- Police spokesman says move only involves ‘a change in wording’
Police guidelines on the use of live rounds were relaxed along with a revision of conditions for anti-riot weapons earlier this year, before the National Day mass protests in which a teen was shot amid clashes.
While the change sparked concern, police said it was not a drastic move but a consolidation of two different sets of guidelines.
According to new internal protocol stated in the Force Procedures Manual seen by the Post, officers can open fire with live rounds while facing “assaults to cause or likely to cause death or serious bodily injury”.
In the previous version, the use of firearms, categorised as “deadly force”, was only allowed when officers faced “assaults intended to cause death or serious bodily injury.”
A force insider said previously officers had to determine whether an assailant had an intention to cause death or serious injury before live rounds could be used. He admitted it could be challenging in the field to ascertain an “intent” in a split second.