Hong Kong police defend decision to withdraw from posts at two hospitals, as tension between public and force intensifies
- Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo says decision to vacate 24-hour posts made after ‘political animosity’ brought into institutions
- Police have received more than 100 complaints about protests but also more than 1,000 complaints from officers about harassment from public
Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo Wai-chung said on Thursday the decision to vacate the 24-hour posts at Queen Elizabeth and Yan Chai hospitals was made after some people “brought political animosity” into the institutions.
“My colleagues are based at hospitals 24 hours,” Lo said. “If it is an environment with hostility, they really cannot do their work well.”
Also defending the move was John Tse Chun-chung, chief superintendent of police at the force’s public relations branch, who told a radio programme earlier in the day: “It is not withdrawal, nor retaliation nor escaping … It is to strike a balance between continuing our services to citizens and reducing friction with hospital staff.”
Tse said the officers had not left the hospitals, but would instead patrol the area and return to their posts at short notice if needed. He said police would meet the Hospital Authority, which runs all public hospitals in the city, on Friday afternoon, when officers would pass the authority details of the alleged abuse.
