Hong Kong protests: police draw on past ‘mistakes’ to break up gatherings early with quick-fire arrests
- Calls for large-scale demonstrations against planned national security and anthem laws thwarted on Wednesday, with police chief hailing operation as a success
- Officers swoop before protests take hold, with Covid-19 given as grounds to withhold approval for public assemblies
Attempts by anti-government protesters to stage large-scale demonstrations in Hong Kong against two controversial proposed laws were foiled on Wednesday by officers making swift arrests under a more robust strategy refined from lessons learned during last year’s unrest, according to police.
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Hong Kong police fire pepper rounds at protesters opposing national anthem law
Hong Kong police chief Chris Tang Ping-keung hailed the proactive tactics as a success, adding that the professionalism of officers had rendered radical behaviour futile.
“Overall, our early intervention and resolute enforcement actions proved to be effective,” Tang said. “We have switched passive tactics to proactive strategy.”
In a change of tack from a year ago, when officers took action only when the protests turned violent or deviated from what was authorised, force insiders told the Post that their strategy had switched to “robust deployment” and “quicker intervention” to stop large crowds forming.
“After 12 months, our tactics have been refined. We are trying to learn from our mistakes,” a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.