The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is suspected of beating street sleepers and breaking their belongings during an anti-crime operation in Tong Chau Street Park in Sham Shui Po on February 24, 2020, after which nine police officers were arrested. The police announced on Dec. 29 that they had formally charged eight of the officers, and the case will be brought to court in the Eastern Magistrates’ Court on Jan. 6 next year, with the public expecting justice to be done.
According to “Apple Daily” reported that the incident suspected of police officers on duty bullying vulnerable communities, including a hammer to break the street sleeper’s home, but also pull the street sleeper’s hair and step on the lower body, etc., the closed-circuit television footage of the incident is said to show that the evidence is conclusive, causing an outcry throughout the city.
The police announced on the 29th that, after an in-depth investigation and consultation with the Department of Justice, eight police officers were prosecuted, aged 26 to 44, involving six men and two women, have been suspended from duty, including “criminal damage”, “assault”, “obstruction of justice” and “One person was released unconditionally. All the accused officers were granted bail pending their arraignment in the Eastern Magistrates’ Court on January 6 next year.
The incident involves, February 4 and 24 this year, police officers in Sham Shui Po Tong Chau Street Park on duty, allegedly with a hammer to break the street sleeper’s chairs and canned goods and other household items, the street sleeper complaints by police officers abuse. The police did not arrest the eight police officers involved until May 8.
Lam Kwok-cheung, a pastor who assisted the street sleepers, said the police went to Tong Chau Street Park on March 6 and surrounded the street sleeper, “Ah Sap”, who was also the street sleeper whose belongings were smashed in the police operation on February 24. The Vietnamese street sleeper, whose real name was Lai Man Sze, died on October 8 while on remand at the Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre, where the Correctional Services Department claimed he committed suicide by “wrapping his pants around his neck”.
In response to “Apple”, former legislator Shao Jiazhen said he had been following up on the incident and felt relieved to learn of the news of the prosecution, but stressed that at this stage it was only a case of prosecution, the future still needs to pay attention to whether the prosecutor will “let the water out” and whether the outcome of the trial can show justice.
He pointed out that the police had repeatedly obstructed the request for CCTV footage, can finally be broadcast in court, estimated that the footage should be conclusive evidence, otherwise the police will not be difficult for no reason.
Pastor Lam Kwok-cheung said that the incident has been almost a year, the street sleepers involved, were detained in correctional institutions, including the deceased Ah X, worried that the detainees will not be able to testify in court. He stressed that he would not fully believe in the justice system, “dragged on for so long is this system has problems, CCTV and do not give people to see.
The Internet is in an uproar, expecting that justice will finally be done, and some question: “Did the victim really commit suicide, or was he suicided?”
Some people also flirted with the future encounter this kind of thing, “the most important thing is not to let the public reporter line near the photo!”
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