Police accused of concealing badge numbers during Mong Kok clash

Nearly half the police officers who clashed with protesters in Mong Kok on Friday had their identification numbers obscured, a protester said, alleging they had done so intentionally.

Demonstrator Lau Hoi-ho said about 40 per cent of front-line officers had concealed the ID numbers on their shoulder epaulettes under their reflective vests during the violence, up from about 10 per cent who appeared to do so last week.

Chief Superintendent Hui Chun-tak, of the police public relations bureau, did not confirm or deny the allegation that the officers hid their numbers deliberately. He said the reflective vests were "part of the normal uniform" and that the incident needed looking into.

Protesters maintain that police are hiding their badge numbers to make it difficult to hold them accountable for abuse.

Officers who stood to the side of Nathan Road could be identified clearly, as they wore their vests under their epaulettes. "But many who stood in the middle of Nathan Road, waiting to take action, did not have their identification numbers visible," Lau said.

He asked some officers to make the numbers visible, he said, but was ignored.