Some complaints against Hong Kong police ‘substantiated’ following internal probe of protest conduct, chief says

Among the 5,100 complaints, others were either unsubstantiated or classified as ‘no fault’ or untraceable

Many involved multiple members of the public reporting the same incidents, most of whom witnessed them unfold online

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Anti-government protesters clash with riot police outside the Prince Edward MTR station in December. While some 5,100 complaints have been filed against police, commissioner Chris Tang said many involved the same incidents, which complainants witnessed online. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 5:12pm, 21 Mar 2020Updated: 12:54am, 23 Mar 2020

Hong Kong’s police chief has revealed that some complaints against officers over the months-long anti-government protests have been substantiated internally and referred to the force’s watchdog for review.

On Saturday, Commissioner of Police Chris Tang Ping-keung said on a television programme that a number of cases were classified as “substantiated” after investigations by the Complaints Against Police Office, the force’s internal unit.

“Some are substantiated, and some are unsubstantiated. Some are [classified as] ‘no fault’ and some are untraceable,” he said, adding that he could not go into the distribution of cases as they had been handed over to the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC).

Commissioner of Police Chris Tang told a local television programme that some complaints objecting to police use of force had been ‘substantiated’ by an internal investigation and sent to the watchdog. Photo: Edmond So

At the centre of the storm was police’s use of force in the handling of protests, but the government has repeatedly rejected calls to set up an independent committee to look into incidents and quell public anger.

More than 5,100 Hongkongers have filed complaints involving some 1,600 cases to police since the social unrest, sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill, erupted last June.

Tang said many complainants referred to the same incidents, and most were people who were angered after watching online videos, instead of ones directly affected by police action.