2 Photos
Police Licensing Office
The Police Licensing Office (PLO) held a seminar for over 60 frontline officers from different formations on September 27 to enhance their professional knowledge on licensing issues and law enforcement capacity.
The seminar covered various police licensing policies and the latest legislation, including the new management measures on the Massage Establishments Licence, points to note and experience sharing for processing liquor licence applications, the overview of the latest situation of public order events, the procedures for handling appeals for public order events and the Hong Kong Police Licensing System, etc. In response to the Firearms and Ammunition (Declaration of Arms) (Amendment) Regulation 2021, which will come into effect on November 1, 2021, PLO explained to the participants on the handling of licence applications in relation to possession of genuine firearm component parts before the legislative amendment takes effect. A guest speaker from the Inter-departmental Counter Terrorism Unit also elaborated on the key points of the legislative amendment, enabling the participants to have a better understanding of the new legislation.
The seminar facilitated the exchange of experiences in performing licensing duties among the officers. The participants found the seminar fruitful and effective in enhancing their knowledge and confidence to perform daily duties in a professional manner. The PowerPoint presentation of the seminar has been uploaded to PLO’s homepage on the Police Intranet, and the video of the seminar is also available on the Force’s internal video platform “P-TV” for viewing.
Support Wing
In recent years, there has been an upsurge of doxxing acts in which personal data is often disseminated and reposted repeatedly on online platforms. Despite the proactive efforts of the Force and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) in carrying out enforcement, the regulatory regime under the previous Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) (PDPO) was found to be insufficient in addressing the doxxing acts committed in recent years.
In order to effectively curb doxxing acts, the Personal Data (Privacy) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 (the Amendment Ordinance) was passed by the Legislative Council, and was published in the Gazette and came into effect on October 8, 2021. The main objectives of the Amendment Ordinance are to criminalise doxxing acts as an offence under the PDPO; empower the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (Privacy Commissioner) to carry out criminal investigations and institute prosecution; and confer on the Privacy Commissioner statutory powers to serve cessation notices to demand actions to cease or restrict disclosure of doxxing contents and apply for injunctions.
Support Wing conducted a briefing on October 4 to enhance officers’ understanding of the amendments. Assistant Commissioner (Support) Chan Yee-lai kicked off the event with an opening speech, followed by a detailed briefing by the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ms Chung Lai-ling covering the background and scope of the amendment to PDPO as well as the role of PCPD. Superintendent of the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau Tam Wai-shun and Superintendent of the Support Branch Wong Ho-hon explained the division of work and delineation of responsibilities between PCPD and the Force over the handling of doxxing cases as well as the referral mechanism, and the assistance to be provided by Report Room officers to the PCPD officers in relation to processing of arrested persons. Over 130 Force members participated in the briefing, and they were proactive in interacting with the speakers. The participants said the briefing was useful in enhancing their knowledge and understanding of the Amendment Ordinance.
Crime Wing
The Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 was published in the Gazette and came into effect on October 8, 2021. The Ordinance has introduced specific offences against voyeurism, unlawful recording or observation of intimate parts, publication of images originating from the two aforementioned offences, as well as publication or threatened publication of intimate images without consent.
The Family Conflict and Sexual Violence Policy Unit (FCSV) of the Crime Support Group and the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau (CSTCB) jointly held a briefing at the Police Headquarters on October 5. The briefing was broadcast live to all regions with the participation of over 500 officers from different formations.
Principal Assistant Secretary for Security Ms Chui Shih-yen and Senior Public Prosecutor of the Department of Justice Mr Lee Sze-yin were invited as guest speakers to explain the background of the legislation, legal definition and the relevant crime elements. Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent of CSTCB Lam Cheuk-ho talked about the application of the legislation of the new offences in different scenarios. Participants were proactive in raising questions to the speakers in the question and answer session. The briefing enriched officers’ professional knowledge and enhanced their understanding of the new offences as well as their ability in case handling.
