Should there be new laws protecting Hong Kong police from abuse?

Unions and groups in the force have called for this following outrage over the sentencing of seven convicted officers

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Supporters of the seven police officers march to the police headquarters from Chater Garden. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 5:00pm, 23 Feb 2017Updated: 5:15pm, 23 Feb 2017

In the wake of Wednesday night’s 33,000-strong demonstration to show support for seven officers convicted of beating up an Occupy activist, groups and unions in the force have once again called for new laws to criminalise offensive language and abuse against public officers.

The seven policemen were sentenced to two years’ jail after being convicted of kicking and punching activist Ken Tsang Kin-chiu following his arrest for assaulting officers during an Occupy protest more than two years ago.

But Hong Kong isn’t the only city where the relationship between the public and the police can be tenuous. Here’s how various laws regarding the issue across jurisdictions measure up:

Hong Kong

Under the law, the mere act of verbally abusing or insulting another person or a public officer does not usually constitute an offence. Under the Public Order Ordinance (Cap. 245), a person can however, be arrested if the abuser goes further and includes words that are “threatening, abusing or insulting” to the officer with “intent to provoke a breach of the peace”. The person can also face action for resisting or obstructing an officer engaged in public duty. Swearing in public is not illegal although by-laws regulate swearing in certain places – Ocean Park and MTR premises, for example – or in certain trades, but are generally not considered recordable offences or crimes.

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