Police officer to be suspended for allegedly taking upskirt video of woman in Hong Kong’s financial district
- Suspect, 28, accused of taking mobile phone video of woman on Pedder Street footbridge, according to police
- Online photo shows five plain-clothes officers pinning off-duty constable on ground, with many onlookers
Police will suspend an officer who was arrested on suspicion of taking an upskirt video of a woman on an escalator in Hong Kong’s main financial district, the force has revealed.
The 28-year-old constable, attached to Cheung Sha Wan Police Station, was off duty when the alleged act took place on Pedder Street outside Central MTR station shortly before 2pm on Tuesday.
He was accused of taking an upskirt video on his mobile phone of a 29-year-old woman on the ascending escalator leading to the Pedder Street footbridge, according to the force.
His alleged act was discovered by plain-clothes officers from the railway police district’s task force who were patrolling the area at the time of the incident.
A photo posted online shows five plain-clothes officers pinning the off-duty constable on the ground, with many onlookers.
The Post learned that officers found the upskirt video in the suspect’s mobile phone.
According to police, the man was being held for questioning and had not been charged. Detectives from the Central district crime squad are handling the case.
Police confirmed the man was an off-duty officer and would be suspended.
“Police attach great importance to the conduct of officers,” the force said in its statement, adding that it had zero tolerance for illegal acts and the matter would be handled seriously.
The officer is the second constable to be arrested over the past two days.
On Monday, a 31-year-old policeman accused of providing sexual services to a businessman for money over the past six months was arrested on suspicion of stealing HK$4,000 (US$510) from the man in a Yau Ma Tei hotel room. He has been suspended from duty.
In January last year, the same officer was suspended after being accused of raping a woman in a Tsim Sha Tsui hotel while off duty. He was not arrested in that case. The officer resumed duty later after the woman was detained over misleading police.
The Post learned that the officer had known the businessman for more than six months. The policeman was allegedly paid between HK$1,000 and HK$3,000 at a time for providing sexual services on dozens of occasions.
The constable was accused of stealing the money when the pair had a dispute in a room in a Yau Ma Tei hotel at about 11pm on Sunday.
In March, the Post reported that four police officers would face immediate dismissal after being arrested for allegedly having sex with an underage girl they met through a dating app.
The four constables were arrested at their homes on March 15 before reporting for duty. They were also suspended from work.
The 15-year-old girl involved was said to have met the four separately through a dating app late last year and had intercourse with each of them on different occasions. The girl revealed the relationships in February to a social worker, who alerted police.
A force insider told the Post in March that police chief Raymond Siu Chak-Yee was so outraged by the alleged crimes that he was considering using his legal powers to sack the accused before criminal investigations and disciplinary hearings began.
Under the Police Force Ordinance, a commissioner can fire a constable who has not completed 10 years of service by serving one month’s notice in writing or paying one month’s salary in lieu of notice.
A total of 37 officers were arrested on suspicion of various criminal offences in 2021, compared with 45 from the previous year.