Hong Kong police are investigating whether a constable provided sex to a businessman for money after the officer was arrested on suspicion of stealing HK$4,000 (US$510) from the man in a Yau Ma Tei hotel room, the Post has learned. The 31-year-old constable, attached to the patrol subunit of a Kowloon West police station, was suspended from duty while facing criminal investigation and a disciplinary hearing, the force said on Monday. In January last year, the same officer was suspended after being accused of raping a woman in a Tsim Sha Tsui hotel while he was off duty. He was not arrested in that case. The officer resumed duty several months later after the woman was detained over misleading police. Hong Kong policeman jailed for 46 months for sexually assaulting underage girls The Post learned that the officer had known the businessman, who was in his 40s, for more than six months. The officer was allegedly paid between HK$1,000 and HK$3,000 at a time for providing sexual services on dozens of occasions. At about 10pm on Sunday, police were called to a Yau Ma Tei hotel after the local businessman claimed the officer stole HK$4,000 from him in a dispute in one of the rooms, the source said. The officer reported for duty at the Kowloon West station at 11pm that night. The source said police found part of the allegedly stolen money in the suspect’s locker, the insider added. The constable was taken to the headquarters of Kowloon West regional crime unit, where he was arrested on suspicion of theft on Monday morning after a criminal investigation, he said. The offence is punishable by up to 10 years in jail. The Post learned detectives seized the officer’s mobile phone as part of the investigation. Another source said that at this stage, no evidence suggested the officer provided paid sex services to other people. As of Monday night, the officer was still being held for questioning and had not been charged. ‘Furious’ Hong Kong police chief may fire 4 officers accused of underage sex A force spokesman said a 45-year-old man made a report at 11pm on Sunday, accusing a man of stealing HK$4,000 from him after they argued over relationship issues in a hotel room in Yau Ma Tei. After investigation, officers arrested a 31-year-old off-duty officer in Hung Hom at around 10am on Monday morning on suspicion of theft. “The officer is now suspended from duty. Police attach great importance to officer’s conduct,” the spokesman said, adding the force had zero tolerance for illegal acts and it would handle the matter seriously. In March, the Post reported that four police officers would face immediate dismissal after being arrested for allegedly having sex with an underage girl they met through a dating app. The four constables were arrested at their homes on March 15 before reporting for duty. They were also suspended from work. The 15-year-old girl involved was said to have met the four separately through a dating app late last year and had intercourse with each of them on different occasions. The girl revealed the relationships in February to a social worker, who alerted police. A force insider told the Post in March that police chief Raymond Siu Chak-Yee was so outraged by the alleged crimes that he was considering using his legal powers to sack the accused before criminal investigations and disciplinary hearings began. Under the Police Force Ordinance, the commissioner can fire a constable who has not completed 10 years of service by serving one month’s notice in writing or paying one month’s salary in lieu of notice. In May 2020, the force set up a group to strengthen integrity after nearly 20 officers were arrested over a few weeks for a variety of offences. The unit was tasked with investigating suspected serious breaches of discipline or even illegal acts involving officers. A total of 37 officers were arrested on suspicion of various criminal offences in 2021, compared with 45 from the previous year.