Probe launched after Hong Kong police pose with guns for 'Occupy' picture
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 22 February, 2015, 5:04am
UPDATED : Sunday, 22 February, 2015, 8:56am
Timmy Sung [email protected]
Police officers pose to mark the Year of the Goat. Photo: SMP
An internal police probe has been launched after a photograph of a group of uniformed officers brandishing firearms - in an apparent joke referencing the Occupy movement - went viral.
The photo, which appears to have been taken at a police facility, shows officers from the elite Police Tactical Unit (PTU) lined up and smiling while five of them hold an assortment of force-issue weapons.
Behind them four fellow officers hold up red flags like those used to warn Occupy protesters, which spell out in Chinese characters "Full of happiness in the Year of the Goat". Three police riot vehicles and several vans can be seen in the background.
Asked if an investigation had been launched and if the officers could face disciplinary action, a spokesman for the police would only say: "The police are looking into the matter."
The photograph sparked debate on the Facebook page. One person wrote that he was "disgusted". "Why not fire tear gas [too, when they are] playing happily?" he added.
But another Facebook user said: "Why make a fuss over this in the festive season?"
The force is seeking to boost officer numbers by 500. If the increase is approved, a significant proportion of the new positions would go to bolstering the PTU's public-order capabilities.
The unit currently has 2,000 officers. It was highly visible on the streets of Hong Kong during the 79-day pro-democracy Occupy movement, with its officers firing tear gas in an attempt to disperse demonstrators outside the government headquarters.
The PTU has three branches: training, administration and the Special Duties Unit, which is better known as the Flying Tigers.
Among other things, it regularly reviews tactics used in crowd management and riot control.
