Just Saying | Fine then, let’s disband Hong Kong’s police force if that’s what the people want
- Yonden Lhatoo says public mistrust and hatred of the city’s police has reached a stage where criminal activity has become acceptable to many while law enforcement is no longer welcome
I thought I’d seen it all, living in the twilight zone of Hong Kong’s great revolution of our times, but obviously not.
Friday night was yet another surreal, straight-up mental episode when police intercepted a teenage suspect in a Tai Po neighbourhood as part of their investigations following the recent seizures of home-made bombs and firearms.
The teenager pulled out a semi-automatic pistol and fired one round at the officers who managed to subdue him without anyone actually getting shot. Police then raided his flat at the estate, where they seized an assault rifle, along with more than 200 rounds of ammunition.
“The firearms and ammunition found match the intelligence we collected, which is about someone planning to use guns in public assemblies to hurt people,” a senior officer said.
There was more madness to follow. While police had the suspect hooded and handcuffed at the crime scene, the riot squad had to be called in when they were mobbed by an angry crowd of protesters and local residents demanding his release.