Hong Kong police union demands officers be exempt from criminal liability at work

Chairman of Junior Police Officers’ Association says Department of Justice does not understand how to properly assess officers’ use of force

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Police officers clash with pro-democracy protesters during a clearance operation on Nathan Road in Mong Kok in 2014. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 2:00pm, 9 Jan 2018Updated: 11:36pm, 9 Jan 2018

A 20,000-member Hong Kong police union has demanded a law to exempt officers from criminal liability for actions taken during enforcement duties, saying members of the city’s judiciary do not have enough professional knowledge to judge their use of force.

Other officers said the courts failed to look at the situation from an officer’s perspective and did not understand the huge pressure officers shouldered in a split – but critical – second.

Joe Chan Cho-kwong, chairman of the Junior Police Officers’ Association, which represents two-thirds of the force, further clarified his appeals after the union on Sunday demanded an emergency meeting with the city’s civil service and security chiefs to discuss how to strengthen protection for frontline law enforcers.

“I am just a tool at work. I obey orders and execute commands. If I execute [duties] correctly, why should I bear criminal liability for what I have done? This is unfair,” Chan told the Post, explaining how the sentence imposed on former superintendent Frankly Chu pushed the association to voice its concerns.

Junior Police Officers' Association chairman Joe Chan wrote to members warning of a ‘morale crisis’. Photo: Sam Tsang

“People from the Department of Justice judge a matter with reference to legal provisions and decide on a prosecution. But they are not professionals on the use of force. Therefore, there is a divergence on how we see the issue.”