Will you friend the Hong Kong police force? Long arm of the law reaches out on Facebook
Platform set up to improve public image of the force is dominated by users urging prosecution of officers who allegedly beat Occupy protester
The police force launched its Facebook page on Monday in a bid to improve its public image and foster better relations with the community - but it quickly created a platform for critics.
By 1.30am it had garnered more than 23,000 likes. Comments were overwhelmingly critical, mostly from users asking when seven officers caught on camera allegedly beating Occupy activist Ken Tsang Kin-chiu last year would be prosecuted.
"Where [are] the seven gangster corrupted cops? When [are] you guys gonna put them [to] justice?" one user asked.
"Black police," was another popular remark.
【四點鐘新聞】警隊Facebook喺今日（2015年10月5日）正式推出喇，而家就有請大家都好熟悉嘅許sir喺度為大家介紹一下！！警察訊息：...
Posted by Hong Kong Police on Monday, October 5, 2015
"The purpose is to reach out to the community … construct a good image of the force and get across our messages in a timely fashion," said Senior Superintendent Catherine Kwan Chui-ching of the police public relations branch. "Using a soft and interesting approach, we hope to foster better police-community relations."