Joining the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) upon his graduation from the Police Cadet School in 1987, Station Sergeant Lee Wing-wah is currently an instructor of the Railway Response Team (RRT). He is the first-ever police officer to have served in four specialised units in the Force, having witnessed the evolution of HKPF’s counter-terrorism strategies.

Lee Wing-wah pointed out that, although the four specialised units perform different functions, all of them have been developing in accordance with the ever-changing situations in society. In the 70s, terrorist activities were escalating around the world. In view of that, HKPF recruited a batch of fine officers to establish the Special Duties Unit (SDU), commonly known as the “Flying Tigers”. Later on, considering the slew of aircraft hijackings happening in the West in 1977, the Force set up the Airport Security Unit (ASU) which specialises in conducting patrols and executing counter-terrorism duties throughout the airport, as well as rendering assistance in the event of aviation incidents.

Already aspiring to become one of the “Flying Tigers” when he first joined the Force, Lee Wing-wah first got admitted into ASU in 1989. After successfully completing tough training, he eventually fulfilled his dream of joining SDU in 1992.

In response to worsening terrorist activities around the world, the Force has established specialised units to boost its capability to cope with such challenges. Established in 2009, the Counter Terrorism Response Unit is a specialised unit stationed in the urban area, which can carry out counter-terrorism patrols and handle terrorist attacks any time. Armed with a wealth of experience in the realm, Lee Wing-wah was invited to help establish the team that year.

Given the continuous surge in terrorist attacks targeting railway systems worldwide, the RRT was founded in 2018 with the aim of handling any terrorist attacks and other major incidents that can possibly affect railway systems. When the team was first set up, Lee Wing-wah was delegated to be an instructor of the team.

Lee Wing-wah’s tenure at SDU was fraught with challenges, but his work in recent years is no mean feat either. He said that since SDU officers mainly combat ferocious criminals, such missions call for unforgiving tactics. Now, the amount of force police officers use must be proportional to the level of violence used by lawbreakers. Besides, rioters often blend into crowds and may wage attacks using deadly weapons, so police officers must remain on full alert.

Among the missions he had accomplished throughout Operation TIDERIDER last year, Lee Wing-wah finds one of them particularly memorable. He said, “While I was leading the team to Wong Tai Sin to render aid to colleagues who were handling riots at the scene, some rioters had already blocked the exits of the Wong Tai Sin MTR station. Impeccably trained, we swiftly broke through the obstacles and subdued over 10 rioters on the spot.”

Lee Wing-wah thinks the Force has demonstrated foresight in its counter-terrorism strategies. He encourages police officers to take early precautions to both prevent and fight crime so as to enhance the Force’s professionalism in curbing terrorism.