Hong Kong police told to 'be stricter over public gatherings of at least three people'
Top brass tell frontline officers to adopt a 'preventative' approach and use their judgment to disperse groups of would-be protesters
All police officers are to enforce laws governing public order "more strictly" to prevent any "suspicious" gathering of at least three people from turning into a protest, according to a new guideline from the top cited by multiple police sources.
The new direction, coming from the force's management last week, spells a focus on "preventive" handling of unauthorised protests and is meant for immediate implementation in each district, the sources say.
It is understood that a post-Occupy Central style of protest in Mong Kok, along with occasionally chaotic gatherings against parallel-goods traders since last month, are reasons behind the police bosses' stress on enforcing the Public Order Ordinance.
"If officers deem a gathering likely to cause any breach of the peace or threat to public safety, we would not allow the participants to proceed," a source said.
He said the force wanted to ensure "consistency and a closer adherence" to the law across districts at a time when anti-trading protests were spreading.
If necessary, another source said, the crack Police Tactical Unit would be deployed to patrol the streets.
