Larry Kwok Lam-kwong of Independent Police Complaints Council fears public could wrongly think commended police are cleared of complaints
CHRISTY.LEUNG@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Saturday, 26 March, 2016, 7:38pm
Larry Kwok Lam-kwong, head of the Independent Police Complaints Council, at his office in Wan Chai. Photo: David Wong
A police watchdog questioned if commendations to police officers for their performance during the Mong Kok riot came at a good time, as some might be facing internal complaints investigations.
The comment came after the Post reported that up to 250 frontline police deployed during bloody clashes on February 8 and 9 had been recommended for internal awards. Four nominees for the commissioner’s commendation lanyard included the traffic officer who controversially fired two live rounds in the air.
The force’s internal Complaints Against Police Office had so far received 30 complaints from 57 individuals alleging police assault and abuse of power during the unrest. The watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Council, was to take up 25 of the 30 in its Serious Complaints Committee.
It was understood that none of the complaints was against the controversial traffic officer.
Larry Kwok Lam-kwong, chairman of the watchdog, said on Saturday the awards might give the public a mistaken impression that the policemen were cleared from the complaints.
“If an officer was being complained about and allegedly involved in misconduct, I think a commendation is not a good idea as it might create public misconception,” Kwok said on a local TV talk show on Saturday. “But I should not comment further since it is an internal matter of the force.”
It was unclear how many of the 250 nominees received complaints against their conduct during the overnight clashes in Mong Kok. But Kwok pledged to stay impartial when reviewing the complaints.
“The awards absolutely will not affect our judgment. We evaluate each case based on evidence and nothing else,” Kwok added.
The Post learnt Sergeant Wong Lok-on, who suffered skull and cheekbone fractures during the unrest, was likely to receive a top honour – a “red lanyard”from Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. The remaining officers were recommended to receive merit certificates from their commanding officers.
Meanwhile, Kwok described relations between police and the public as “fine”, despite additional clashes between protesters and the force in recent years. Kwok admitted the watchdog had its hands tied when it came to finding a solution, claiming the root of the conflicts was on “a higher level”.
“The whole society, including the Legislative Council and the administration, should study the core of the problem,” Kwok said. “This is not something that the complaints council can solve.”
Overall, police received 1,547 complaints against the force’s officers last year, nearly a 32 per cent drop from the previous year.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1931041/odd-timing-watchdog-boss-hong-kong-police-questions-awards
