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Terrorism
Hong KongLaw and Crime

Anti-terror drill in Hong Kong MTR station draws 400 emergency staff

Authorities say exercise meant to enhance command and control ability of frontline response

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The drill was designed to boost coordination and communication between police, the fire service and MTR staff in the handling of emergencies. Photo: Dickson Lee
Danny Mok

Some 400 Hong Kong police officers as well as staff from other government departments carried out an anti-terrorist exercise in one of the city’s busiest MTR stations early Friday morning.

Code-named “Leosharp 2018” and organised by police, the drill at Admiralty station also involved personnel from the MTR Corporation and Fire Services Department.

The force deployed officers from the Counter Terrorism Response Unit, Organised Crime and Triad Bureau, the Emergency Unit and the Police Tactical Unit.

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As part of the drill, officers had to deal with two gunmen. Photo: Dickson Lee
As part of the drill, officers had to deal with two gunmen. Photo: Dickson Lee

In the practice scenario conducted at 2am, Admiralty station control room received an anonymous telephone call from a man who said “let’s play a game” before hanging up at about 9.30am on a weekday.

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Staff for the station, which is a major railway transport hub for the city, alerted the operational command centre. Other Admiralty staff subsequently found an unattended briefcase at the concourse. Inside the briefcase, police found a note that read: “Let’s play a game.”

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