Hong Kong protests: senior police officer Alan Lau calls on colleagues to rise above ‘rogue cop’ framing to restore order, help defeat hatred
- Force smeared in ‘biggest conspiracy in the world’ that fans flames of hate against city officers, says Lau
- Veteran officer who led police operations during Occupy Central says law and force alone cannot restore order
A top police officer who came out of retirement to tackle Hong Kong’s escalating protests has appealed to colleagues to help defeat hatred in the city, despite being “smeared as rogue cops” in what he called a conspiracy against the force.
His plea came as anti-government protests in Hong Kong continued into their fourth month, with some demonstrators resorting to violence including throwing petrol bombs at officers and setting barricades on fire, and police responding with tear gas and firing rounds of rubber bullets.
Penning the letter on September 19, the deputy commissioner said the past six weeks had been “the hardest and most worrying of my life, but also the most glorious”.
He said he was honoured to work together with his 30,000 colleagues, who he added performed their duties faithfully in the face of danger.
