Hong Kong driver is first person awarded cash for tip-off about terrorist plot

Driver reported two passengers’ conversation about bomb plot to police and was rewarded when pair were convicted

Force announces reward ahead of launch of campaign asking cabbies to help protect national security

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Police’s counterterrorism unit will train taxi drivers to identify suspicious people, items or incidents. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 7:00am, 1 Aug 2023Updated: 11:33am, 1 Aug 2023

A driver has become the first person in Hong Kong to receive a cash reward for tipping off police about a terrorist plot, the force announced ahead of Tuesday’s launch of a campaign asking cabbies to help protect national security.

“Taxi drivers travel across the city every day and encounter different people and incidents,” said Senior Superintendent Peter Leung Wai-ki, head of the Inter-departmental Counter Terrorism Unit.

“They may come in contact with crime-related information when carrying passengers or driving on the road. It is believed that many crimes could be prevented if they report such information to us in time.”

The driver, who received his reward in March, heard two of his passengers discussing details of a bomb attack and reported their plan to police after dropping them off, Leung said during a media briefing about the campaign on Friday.

(From left) Taxi Dealers and Owners Association chairwoman Sonia Cheng, Inter-departmental Counter Terrorism Unit head Senior Superintendent Leung Wai-ki and taxi driver Chan Kim-ming at the launch of a counterterrorism campaign. Photo: Jonathan Wong

He said police then arrested two local men, who were later convicted of bomb hoaxes, and the officer in charge of the case nominated the driver for a cash reward.