Tougher actions urged after police officer shot by arrow

By Chen Qingqing in Beijing, Wang Wenwen and Bai Yunyi in Hong Kong Source:Global Times Published: 2019/11/17 19:23:39

Photo: Hong Kong police force


A police officer from the Force Media Liaison Cadre (FMLC) of Hong Kong Police Force was hit by an arrow on Sunday during a dispersal operation, as calls for frontline police officers to be allowed to use tougher law enforcement measures amid malicious, potentially lethal mob attacks have been reinforced. 

At around 2 pm Sunday, a member of the FMLC was hit in the calf by an arrow about 30 meters from the Polytechnic University (PolyU), according to a police statement. The injured officer is being treated in hospital. 

The officer was carrying out media liaison duties when he was hit as a large group of journalists were reporting in the same area. The police said such an attack poses a grave threat to the safety of everyone at the scene. 

Police also severely condemned the violent acts of all rioters and are conducting dispersal and arrest operations. 

Meanwhile, a metal ball hit a riot police officer's visor, right above his nose. The officer was not injured.

Rioters clashed with the police on Sunday at PolyU, after the school reported to police that many of its laboratories were broken into and dangerous chemicals were stolen, police confirmed with the Global Times on Saturday night. 

Some frontline officers and their relatives said they were shocked and furious when they saw police constantly getting hurt amid dispersal operations, and rioters are now indiscriminately using lethal weapons.

"Maybe it's time to reconsider whether we should raise the level of our force to the equivalent of the mobs' attacks," a frontline officer said in a post on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo account on Sunday. 

Senior police officers should roll out more decisive measures to curb the violence to better protect the lives of officers, he said. 

Joe Chan Cho-kwong, former chairman of the Junior Police Officers' Association, told the Global Times that riot police should be allowed to take weapons such as mid-range assault rifles when on patrol, considering that arrows and marbles used by rioters can be lethal.

"Senior police officers should authorize ground-level colleagues to use weapons that have the same effect as those used by rioters," Chan said, adding that the seniors police officers shoulder the main responsibilities for the safety of frontline officers and they must show greater resolve to protect their officers and end the violence.  



Posted in: HK/MACAO/TAIWAN

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