Vehicles from the police’s VIP Protection Unit are seen during a visit by Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, in May 2016. Photo: Edward Wong
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https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/2182243/hong-kong-police-launch-internal-investigation Law and Crime
Hong Kong police investigate allegation senior officer used safe house for trysts with his lover
- Complaint was filed against an officer from the force’s Security Wing
- He is accused of using the unoccupied unit in Hung Hom for clandestine meetings
A policeman guards outside the Jinan Intermediate Court in August 2013. Photo: Simon Song
Hong Kong police have launched an internal investigation after a senior officer from the force’s Security Wing was accused of using an unoccupied safe house to meet his lover.
Without commenting on the allegation, a police spokesman said the force attached great importance to officers’ conduct and discipline. “We will handle the matter strictly if any personnel are found breaking rules,” he said.
But one law enforcement source said the force was investigating the allegation involving a superintendent from the Security Wing.
The unit is in charge of giving VIP protection, liaising with consulates and coordinating security operations, including counterterrorism and related training.
A force insider said secret safe houses could be in residential or industrial units and are used to meet informants or as meeting places between undercover officers and their handlers.
The investigation was launched after the allegation about the relationship between the superintendent and his lover was posted in the instant chat group popular among police officers at lunchtime on Tuesday.
It said the superintendent was the key holder of an industrial unit in Hung Hom that served as a safe house but was not in use, and he used the flat to meet his lover, who was a government employee and worked in the area.
The alleged report claimed their relationship came to light as the woman’s husband hired a private detective to follow her and a complaint was lodged with the police force’s top management.
Four photos of the couple, taken last month, were posted along with the report.
The force’s watchdog revealed last month that some 130 police officers were disciplined in the 2017/18 financial year following complaints about their conduct, up 48 per cent from the previous financial year.
The Independent Police Complaints Council revealed in its annual report that it received 1,616 new complaints from the force’s Complaints Against Police Office in 2017/18, up 3.1 per cent from 2016/17.
It endorsed 1,617 complaints, comprising 2,872 allegations. Not all the complaints endorsed were necessarily lodged during the 2017/18 period.
Half of the allegations involved neglect of duty, while a third had to do with improper manners or offensive language.
As a result, 120 officers received warnings or advice, while another 10 faced disciplinary reviews. In the 2016/17 financial year, a total of 88 officers were disciplined.