Police Chief Says Force Has Society's Full Support

The Commissioner of Police, Stephen Lo, said on Saturday that society in general is highly satisfied with the force’s performance.

Lo made the comments after inspecting the last passing-out parade for probationary inspectors and police constables at the Wong Chuk Hang Hong Kong Police College before his retirement on Monday.

In his speech, Lo called on the officers to stand firm in upholding their values, stay honest, and remain confident amid the current social unrest.

Despite mounting claims of police brutality and abuse of power over the last few months, Lo said the public has “full confidence in the force”.

He cited a Police Service Satisfaction Survey conducted last year, which found that 84 percent of respondents were satisfied with the police's overall service performance – the highest score from such surveys since 2000.

The police chief said although some incidents over the past few months have posed a challenge to the relationship between police and the community, the force will certainly continue to enjoy the support of Hong Kong people as long as officers remain united, discharge their duties honestly, and enforce the law impartially.

“My heart is always with the force. It is my greatest honour to be able to lead this world-class professional police force”, Lo said in his closing remarks.

Unlike previous passing-out parades, the media were not invited to Saturday's event.