Hong Kong launches a “counter-terrorism hotline”

Hong Kong authorities launch a counter-terrorism hotline and contemplate providing monetary rewards to residents who present helpful info to the police.

The police of Hong Kong formally launches on June 8 the Counter-terrorism reporting hotline to encourage residents to offer clues about “crimes involving terrorism and violence.” This new hotline is a part of a promotional marketing campaign: Spot and Report.

Police beforehand launched an analogous hotline, the Anti-violence hotline, in 2019 with the intention to help within the investigations and prevention of crime after protests sparked towards the Hong Kong authorities and a invoice that allowed extradition to mainland China. Police say this hotline acquired “many stories from enthusiastic residents”.

In November 2020, a Nationwide Safety Division Reporting Hotline was additionally launched to facilitate the general public to report info associated to nationwide safety. In Might final yr, folks had been additionally capable of report suspicions of terrorism by a web-based kind or by electronic mail.

With a quantity that’s stated to be simpler to recollect, the brand new hotline is an improve of the anti-violence one. It is going to be managed by the Inter-departmental Counter-Terrorism Unit (ICTU), a service created in 2018, with the target to boost sharing of intelligence throughout departments. The nationwide safety hotline will complement the counter-terrorism hotline with the identical goal however masking totally different legal guidelines, the ICTU superintendent Leung Wai-kei stated.

Authorities justify the improve by a must adapt to new threats as a result of actions of “native extremists have turned underground and change into extra covert” because the controversial Hong Kong nationwide safety legislation got here into impact in mid-2020.

On prime of violent acts, they hope folks report suspected terrorism-related actions, and particularly extremist plots. It can solely enable folks to report info with SMS and WeChat for the second, with the chance so as to add additional options sooner or later.

Mr. Wai-kei stated the web kind and electronic mail reporting of terrorism acquired about 350 items of knowledge since Might; 35% of them wanted a follow-up. The anti-violence hotline acquired 340,000 stories.

The menace stage of terrorism assaults in Hong Kong is at the moment set at average.

The brand new safety legislation criminalizes separatism, subversion, terrorism and collusion with international powers, which might be sentenced as much as life imprisonment.

With the brand new legislation, an individual who “intimidates the general public with the intention to pursue political agenda“ might carry out terrorist actions if, as an example, there may be severe violence towards an individual, sabotage of technique of transport or transport services, interruption of public companies or “different harmful actions which severely jeopardize public well being, security or safety.”

As a way to encourage folks in reporting suspected terrorism, police contemplate providing rewards to those that present dependable info. The quantity of the rewards and their mechanism haven’t been formally communicated however can be granted after the prosecution ends.

A Good Citizen Award has already been in place in Hong Kong for years to encourage members of the general public to report crimes to the police. Granted yearly with a ceremony, the Good Citizen Award additionally comes with 4,000 Hong Kong {dollars} (US$510).

Mr. Wai-kei steered rewards may go from 400,000 to 800,000 Hong Kong {dollars} (US$51,000-102,000) if a report avoids severe crimes corresponding to damage or homicide.

He additionally stated that the general public might contemplate if an individual is dressed or behaves unusually to determine suspicious people, and confirmed confidence there can be no abuse of the stories as a result of authorities have expertise in figuring out credible stories and that rewards can be given after the prosecution is full.

July 1 will mark the twenty fifth anniversary that the UK transferred its authority over Hong Kong to China.

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