Chairman of the Independence Police Complaints Council Anthony Neoh speaks during a press conference in Hong Kong, Aug 23, 2019. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG - Hong Kong’s police watchdog said it will soon invite overseas experts to join its study on police handling of recent anti-extradition bill protests in the SAR since June 9.
At a news conference of the Independent Police Complaints Council on Friday, its head, barrister Anthony Francis Neoh, said the council was communicating with experts from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada to form an international panel. It will announce the list of members within 10 days.
They include experts who studied the Tottenham riot in the UK in 2011, and the G20 riot in Canada in 2017.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor first announced the IPCC’s plan to invite foreign experts on Tuesday, but did not reveal further details at the time.
Neoh said that the IPCC study would focus on fact-finding, make an assessment of police procedures, and recommend ways to improve and prevent any reoccurrence of such protests.
The overseas-expert panel will assist in assessment and recommendations to ensure the objectivity of the probe.
The personal behavior of police officers will not be included in the study, Neoh stressed. He noted that officers will be investigated and, if necessary, punished by police internal procedures.
The first stage of review — of police conduct from June 9 to July 2 — will finish within six months and be made public. A study of the protests after July 2, including the violent Yuen Long clash on July 21, will begin soon after, as information on those protests is not as sufficient as that of the first stage, said Daniel Mui Tat-ming, deputy secretary-general (operations) of the IPCC.
As of Thursday, 183 cases of complaints had been made against the police regarding its handling of protests since June 9. Most of the complaints accused police officers of neglecting their duty on July 21, as well as “misconduct” in the use of force, “impoliteness” and “unnecessary use of authority”.
Fifty-three cases concerned the Yuen Long attack, and 26 focused on clashes outside the Legislative Council on June 12, when the legislature planned to resume its second reading of the now-shelved extradition bill.
As of Thursday, the IPCC has received over 1,300 submissions from the public, containing more than 25,000 texts, photos, video clips and hyperlinks. Over 1,000 hours of television footage will also be examined, Mui said.
The IPCC will continue to ask the police to provide records of principles, guidelines, on-site procedures and deployment of personnel during past protests, Mui said.
Based on existing information, Neoh agreed that there was room for police to improve their handling of large-scale public activities and clashes.
Discussing public demands for an independent inquiry into police behavior, Neoh said now is not a good time. The most critical task at present is to clarify facts and locate possible problems in the police force to heal divisions in society.
When things calm down in Hong Kong, an independent inquiry could be considered, Neoh said. But the scope of such a probe needs to be clarified, he added.
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