Since early February 2020, the Regional Crime Prevention Office of Kowloon East (RCPO KE) has implemented a new community engagement project known as “Project Urban Beacon”, which aims to enhance the overall security in the Region through engaging the community in crime prevention.

The first phase of the project entails engagement of street store owners. Officers of the RCPO KE would assess the security measures adopted in the stores and provide pertinent security advice. For instance, store owners would be encouraged to install or upgrade closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems in order to deter crime, and to strengthen their locking devices so as to prevent culprits from gaining access to the stores. Between February and March, officers have approached a total of 573 street stores in a trial area in San Po Kong in Wong Tai Sin District, where the project was well-received.

Upon the establishment of a liaison network, officers of the RCPO KE would continue to monitor crime trends and inform relevant members of the network when a particular crime trend or a case of interest is spotted in their area, thereby enhancing their alertness and enlisting their help to provide relevant information.

Throughout the engagement process, officers would also record useful data including CCTV-related information. Such data would be indexed in the Case Management and Investigation System and be made accessible by frontline units via the Geographic Information System, which could enhance the Force’s crime investigation capability.

The RCPO KE is now extending the trial run of the project to other police districts in the Region in the hope of garnering public support in crime prevention and enhancing public confidence in the Force’s ability in maintaining law and order.