2 Photos
In recent years, technology crime and deception have become prevalent in Hong Kong. 12 326 cases happened in the first half of 2022, accounting for 40 per cent of the overall crime figure. Along with technological development, reporting crime electronically (e-report) has become a public trend. To enhance the effectiveness in curbing technology crime and deception, the e-Crime Processing and Analysis Hub (e-Hub) has come into operation since September 19.
In his officiating speech at the opening ceremony of e-Hub, Commissioner Siu Chak-yee mentions that e-Hub can help reduce the time required for case referrals, facilitate swift response to cases reported by the public, streamline workflow of frontline officers and minimise duplication of investigative resources. Hence, the establishment of e-Hub is beneficial to both frontline officers and members of the public.
e-Hub is established under the Crime Wing Headquarters to provide a one-stop platform for receiving reports, correlation analysis and case referral. It operates in two shifts (A and B shifts) every day, including public holidays, to handle all e-reports related to technology crime and deception. After receiving an e-report, the officers will contact the informant to confirm the case details on the same day. Under normal circumstances, the case will be referred to the investigation team of the respective district for follow-up according to the informant’s residential address. e-Hub will also conduct correlation analysis through the enhanced computer system to confirm whether the report is related to other similar cases, with a view to coordinating resources to conduct investigation on the same cluster, aiming at enhancing the effectiveness in processing technology crime and deception reports.
Prior to the official launch of e-Hub, Crime Wing Headquarters conducted two briefing sessions in August for Uniform Branch frontline officers, including the duty officers and officers from crime units, to introduce the functions of e-Hub, the workflow of case referrals and criteria for case clustering. At the same time, the briefing sessions also covered the salient amendments to the Hong Kong Police Force Procedures Manual Chapter 21 and other related chapters.
To facilitate the launch of e-Hub and members of the public making reports, the Force’s e-Report Centre is optimised concurrently. The layout of e-Report Centre has been revamped in accordance with the characteristics of technology crime and deception reports, allowing members of the public to provide clear and accurate crime information through the platform for further investigation.
The operation of e-Hub has been essentially smooth in the past month. The informants interviewed generally opine that the report handling process is efficient and convenient. Regarding stop-payment for deception cases, e-Hub has closely collaborated with the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre. So far, there have been cases in which crime proceeds are intercepted successfully.
