Hong Kong police railway unit in line for revamp as growing MTR network prompts strategy rethink
- Force says using model from the past 40 years to police an ever-expanding network will affect officers’ speed and efficiency
- Chief Superintendent Pierre Wong of the force’s operations wing says the reshuffle will boost law enforcement efficiency
Stephen Yu Wai-kit, commander of the force’s railway district, said on Wednesday that the tenfold expansion of the MTR network in past decades had made law enforcement in stations and on trains challenging.
“If we keep using the model from the past 40 years to police an ever-expanding network with one police district, relying on MTR trains as transport, our officers’ speed and efficiency will be affected if they face disruptions when heading to [crime] sites,” Yu said.
Following the network’s expansion over the years, 98 stations now dot the city, while the railway unit has more than 300 officers.
Under the planned revamp, officers from the railway district will no longer stay underground full-time from June as the force will integrate railway patrols and ground patrols of each respective police district.