Hong Kong protests: can other disciplined services lend manpower support to city’s beleaguered police force?
- Idea of sharing resources floated in meeting with all heads of city’s disciplined departments and security chief John Lee
- Senior law enforcement source fears proposal will bring ‘collateral damage’ to other services, subjecting them to same hatred police are facing
Manpower from the other disciplined services could be used to help Hong Kong police enforce the law as violent anti-government protests continue to intensify, but this would amount to “little more than 200” extra people, sources have told the South China Morning Post.
The idea was floated recently when all the heads of the city’s disciplined departments met with Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu, a police source told the Post.
The proposal involved each department – the Correctional Services Department, the Fire Services Department, the Immigration Department and the Customs and Excise Department – sparing about 50 officers each, who would be recruited on a voluntary basis, the source said.
The idea was still being explored, he said, while Deputy Police Commissioner Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Monday he would not rule out such an option in the future.
But several non-police disciplined service members poured cold water on the plan, saying some of their departments were also struggling with a manpower shortage.