Greater caution by frontline officers cited as reason for improved relations

The number of complaints received by the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) in the 2014-15 fiscal year fell by 12 percent to 2,159 compared with a year earlier.

IPCC Chairman Larry Kwok Lam-kwong said the figure showed police officers had performed more cautiously under the council's supervision.

The frontline police officers had been more aware of their behavior, which probably translated into a better overall performance by police last year, Kwok said.

Fiscal year 2014-15 started April 1, 2014 and ended at the end of this March.

Kwok also partly attributed the fall to preventative efforts by police.

The police introduced an expression of dissatisfaction mechanism in January. This is to redirect minor complaints such as those about officers' attitudes and the way they handle things to a separate channel.

Kwok said such changes helped the council focus its resources on handling more serious complaints.

The council investigated 2,241 complaints, involving 4,088 allegations, in the last fiscal year. The most common allegation was neglect of duty. This made up 51 percent of all complaints.

A total of 1,309 allegations were fully investigated, of which 76 were proved to be misconduct.

A total of 172 complaints were reported to the council relating to the illegal "Occupy Central" protests last year. Among 20 fully investigated cases, 16 were classified as being substantiated.

The past year witnessed arguments on the relationship between the police and city residents. According to the Public Opinion Programme at the University of Hong Kong, the satisfaction score for police dropped from 67 at the end of 2012 to 61 this year.

The SAR government and the police force rejected claims of public distrust of the police several times throughout the year. Under Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu said the residents "still trust the police force". He said statistics showed people were actively seeking help from police in the past year and Hong Kong remained one of the world's safest cities.

Former Hong Kong police chief Andy Tsang Wai-hung had also rejected these suggestions. He urged people to look at the relationship in a more comprehensive way.

In October, the police force made its first ever foray onto social media by launching its official Facebook page, aiming to liaise more closely with ordinary people.

luisliu@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 12/03/2015 page7)