Hong Kong police add 13 sets of CCTV cameras to Western district as network grows
- They join 15 sets installed in Mong Kok in March, part of broader plan to set up 2,000 across city by end of 2024
Thirteen sets of police surveillance cameras have been installed in Western District on Hong Kong Island, after 15 were placed in Mong Kok in March as part of a pilot scheme, the force has said.
Police revealed the expansion of their CCTV network on Thursday after footage captured by the newly installed cameras allowed officers to identify and arrest a 54-year-old man who allegedly broke into a money exchange on Des Voeux Road West on Monday. The shop is about 500 metres (546 yards) away from the central government’s liaison office.
Alexander Yung, an inspector with the Western criminal investigation unit, said the suspect was also linked to a break-in at another currency exchange on Marble Road in North Point on Saturday.
He said HK$52,000 (US$6,672) in foreign currencies was stolen from the two shops.
“To avoid being caught, the suspect changed his clothes before and after the raids in an effort to conceal his identity,” Yung said.
He attributed the swift resolution of the two cases to the newly installed cameras in Western district as well as ones operated by nearby shops that helped officers track and arrest the suspect.
After gathering evidence, police arrested the 54-year-old man on Wednesday. Officers also seized clothes the suspect was wearing during the crimes.