Hong Kong police to replace US-made service revolvers with mainland Chinese pistols
Smith & Wesson revolvers to be replaced with 9mm pistol, which has 15-round magazine capacity, and CS/LP 5 pistol, which has seven-round capacity
Hong Kong police will start using pistols manufactured in mainland China by the end of the month, replacing their standard-issue revolvers made in the United States.
The force said on Thursday that two Chinese semi-automatic pistol models were chosen “after stringent consideration” because of their safety features, better fit for Asian users and sustainable supply.
“The first batch of trained staff will start using the new guns from July 25,” Superintendent Ko Cheuk-hang from the support wing said.
Ko said the replacement would take place in phases, with a goal of training 2,000 officers to use the new guns every year.
Officers from criminal investigation, the Emergency Unit, the Police Tactical Unit and the Quick Reaction Force would be given priority in training, he said, adding other members of the force would continue using the old US models until they received lessons on the new firearms.
Police maintained an open attitude during the procurement phase and considered suppliers from different countries, Ko added, while stopping short of listing examples due to confidentiality issues.