In 2022, Hong Kong celebrated the 25th anniversary of its reunification with the Motherland. This milestone marked a pivotal point for the Hong Kong Police Force as we persevered in the spirit of 'Serving Hong Kong with Honour, Duty and Loyalty'. Major events, including the Chief Executive Election and President Xi Jinping's visit to Hong Kong, were conducted in a safe and orderly manner, meeting the expectations of the country and the public.

Following the transition from chaos to order, Hong Kong now stands at a crucial juncture in the shift from stability to prosperity. To support the city's progress, the Police Force is safeguarding national security with determination. We also upgraded the Police Public Relations Branch to the Public Relations Wing which allowed for more proactive engagement with stakeholders in fighting and preventing crime.

During the year, traditional crimes such as robbery and burglary reached an all-time low since 1969, and also recorded the highest detection rate in 46 years. The greatest reward for all members of the Force is in ensuring that the people of Hong Kong live and work in one of the world's safest and most stable cities.

Fulfilling the Mission to Safeguard National Security

All members of the Force are duty-bound to defend national security. As a result, 'Safeguarding National Security' has been included in the Force's Strategic Directions 2022-2024 to guide our ongoing efforts to strengthen our capability in preventing and deterring acts that endanger national security. Additionally, we are determined to enhance officers' understanding and awareness of national security.

Since January 2022, the National Security Department (NSD) has been holding the 'NS Express' exhibition at the School of Foundation Training of the Hong Kong Police College for new members of the Force to better understand their duty to assure national security. In celebration of National Security Education Day on April 15, the Force uploaded 16 videos about key aspects of national security to the internal platform P-TV for officers to watch and learn in a viewer-friendly manner. On July 9, the passing-out parade adopted the Chinese-style foot drill for the first time, with the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, inspecting the parade as the Reviewing Officer. In tandem with these efforts, numerous educational activities were organised to help the public better understand their responsibilities in safeguarding national security. These included the establishment of a thematic gallery named 'National Security Starts With Me' in the Police Museum at the Peak.

During a visit to Hong Kong in July to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China, President Xi Jinping stressed that 'Hong Kong cannot withstand chaos and will not afford to have any'. The Force remains committed to its mission of protecting national security. As of December 31, 2022, the NSD has arrested 236 people on suspicion of endangering national security since National Security Law came into force. The Force also aims to improve the use of technology to allow the public to provide information about national security. In August, the NSD launched an official WeChat account, which has received over 380,000 reports by year's end. The encouraging response highlights the community's support and commitment to upholding national security.

We recognise the importance of being prepared for terrorism during times of peace. To promote a whole-of-community approach to counter terrorism, we encourage the public to report suspicious activities through our Counter-terrorism (CT) Reporting Hotline 63-666-999, launched in June 2022. People who provide terrorism-related information may even receive a CT reward. Additionally, the Force conducts regular counter-terrorism drills to improve co-ordination among operational units in handling terrorist incidents. Relevant stakeholders and members of the public are invited to take part, so as to increase their awareness of terrorism.

Engaging with Stakeholders in Community Policing

Law and order in Hong Kong remained stable during the year, with declines observed in traditional crimes such as robbery and burglary. The total number of crimes increased by 8.7% from 64,428 in 2021 to 70,048 in 2022, but primarily due to a rise of about 45% in deception cases, which reached 27,923 in 2022, compared to the previous year. As a result of the Force's intelligence-led operations against deception, more than 1,300 individuals have been arrested, involving crime proceeds exceeding $2 billion. The Anti-Scam Helpline 18222, operated by the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre, also contributed to reducing victims' losses, successfully intercepting over $1.3 billion in payments to fraudsters.

On an international level, the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau in July organised the Next Generation Policing: Emerging Technologies and Changing Cyber Threats Workshop. This event attracted more than 540 cybercrime experts and investigators from 84 INTERPOL member jurisdictions, who joined us to evaluate the challenges of addressing technology crime. In October, I led a delegation to attend the 90th INTERPOL General Assembly in New Delhi, India, and emphasised the importance of international cooperation among law enforcement agencies and relevant stakeholders in combatting cybercrime.

The Force also collaborated with various sectors in Hong Kong, including the Transport Department, with whom we partnered to broadcast scam alerts in 17 government tunnels. A working group was established jointly with the Office of the Communications Authority and mobile network operators to develop measures against telephone deception, such as adding specific markers to the calling number display for suspicious incoming calls to help users filter and even block such calls. To engage with more stakeholders and enlist their support in helping the public take precautions, we organised the 'Anti-Scam Test Across the Territory' in November. This event featured bogus deceptive advertisements such as 'free air tickets' and 'supermarket vouchers' to remind the public to stay vigilant to deception everywhere. Additionally, we launched a scam and pitfall search engine called the 'Scameter' to help people identify potential dangers when shopping or making other transactions online. Users can enter platform account names, phone numbers, email addresses or URLs to assess the risk of fraud and cybersecurity. Fraud prevention tips are also available through the Scameter. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the Force and various stakeholders, the number of deception cases began to decline from its peak in October. However, we will not become complacent; we shall persevere and pursue further collaboration to combat deception.

To engage effectively with diverse stakeholders and better demonstrate our strategic directions and determination in community policing, the Police Public Relations Branch of the Force was upgraded to the Public Relations Wing in July. Concurrently, the Good Citizen Award scheme was revamped, introducing the Good Organisation Award to recognise contributions at both individual and organisational levels.

'Hong Kong will prosper only when its young people thrive.' The Police Force is dedicated to educating the young people about the importance of abiding by the law. The renowned Junior Police Call has also kept up with the times by introducing new uniforms to reinforce members' discipline, increase their sense of belonging and pride, and foster the development of more young leaders and collaborators in combatting crime. Every six months, I meet the chairpersons of the 18 district school heads' associations and parent-teacher associations to exchange views on engaging with young people during community activities. In July, we invited 50 representatives from 20 sponsoring bodies to jointly explore strategies to protect youngsters from going astray or becoming victims of crime. Additionally, the Public Relations Wing, in collaboration with the Education Bureau and sponsoring bodies, produced 40,000 booklets entitled A Chronicle of Juvenile Crimes – Strategies for Teachers and Parents as well as five video clips on preventing youth crime. All these resources provide valuable guidance to teachers dealing with juvenile issues, and at the same time serve as accessible tools for young people to learn about the serious consequences of breaking the law.

The Leadership Institute on Narcotics (L.I.O.N.), which aims to develop students into young anti-drug leaders, continued to provide a platform for our mentees in 2022. The platform allowed them to exercise their creativity to devise anti-drug activities, in the process of promoting a drug-free culture in schools and yielding encouraging results. In October, the Force launched another round of the regular child protection campaign, this time under the theme, 'Bystander Intervention'. Our goal was to promote cross-sectoral collaboration to achieve early intervention in child abuse cases. The campaign was well recognised, earning the Gold Prize in the category of Excellence in Team Collaboration (Specialised Service) at the Civil Service Outstanding Service Award Scheme 2022.

I firmly believe that the key to reaching out and collaborating effectively with various sectors lies in our commitment to 'Serving Hong Kong'. Looking back at early 2022, when the epidemic was still severe, the Force was relentless in assisting the Government's fight against the disease. We formed the Designated Corpse Handling Team and Police Medic Special Duty Team to expedite the handling of deceased bodies and the transfer of non-urgent patients. In some police districts, ethnic minority police officers were deployed to explain anti-pandemic information and communicate with ethnic minorities affected by government operations on isolation orders. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to colleagues who worked tirelessly to overcome those difficult times alongside the public.

The Force's determination to defend Hong Kong must persist. In October, the Police Recruitment Centre at the Police Headquarters in Wan Chai was inaugurated as a gateway for aspiring candidates to join the Force. We also launched the Police University Recruitment Express (PURE) to help students from 11 local universities learn more about policing while facilitating on-site job applications on campus. As part of our recruitment drive on the Mainland, our Recruitment Division conducted a PURE Mainland programme at Jinan University and Huaqiao University to attract more Hong Kong students on the Mainland to join the Force upon graduation.

Harnessing Technology to Enhance Efficiency

The Force is actively promoting digital policing to support our frontline colleagues and improve policing services. We have fully launched online application and payment services for eight types of licences and permits, such as the Security Personnel Permit and Temporary Liquor Licence. In response to the prevalence of deception and technological crime, the Force established the e-Crime Processing and Analysis Hub in September to enhance efficiency in handling and analysing cases reported by the public.

Several mobile applications were introduced in 2022 to improve the law enforcement efficiency of frontline officers. Starting from September, when members of the public dial 999 with a smartphone, the caller's location will be identified and sent to a Command and Control Centre to ensure efficient rescue operations. To address the growing number of mountain search and rescue operations, we launched a search and rescue solution comprising a composite platform that provides rescue units with crucial information, enhancing interdepartmental collaboration in these operations.

We further signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation and invited tech ventures to jointly develop and test innovative solutions to enhance policing services by advancing digital policing. This collaboration aims to improve the Force's service quality and competence in protecting the lives and property of Hong Kong people on all fronts.

Conclusion

Security is the foundation of development and prosperity. Hong Kong has embarked on a journey towards greater prosperity. To meet the expectations of our country and our people, the Force is committed to excelling in professionalism and telling the good story of the Police. At the same time, we will proactively engage with all sectors of society to maintain national security, striving to keep Hong Kong as one of the safest and most stable cities in the world.