Police force

The Police Force’s commitment to maintaining law and order helps ensure Hong Kong remains one of the world’s safest and most stable cities.

At the end of 2015, the police had an establishment of about 28,900 police officers and 4,600 civilian staff, reinforced by some 4,000 volunteers serving in the Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force. It appointed 96 inspectors and 810 constables during the year.

Crime rate

Reported crimes in 2015 totaled 66,439, a decrease of 1.9 percent compared with 67,740 in 2014.

Fire Services Department

The Fire Services Department fights fires, protects life and property in the event of fires and other calamities, provides emergency ambulance services, and formulates and enforces fire safety policies and measures. The department employs 9,515 uniformed and 725 civilian members and has well-trained personnel, advanced communications systems and modern equipment.

ICAC

Hong Kong is internationally acclaimed as a city with a clean civil service, a level playing field for doing business and a society intolerant of corruption. International studies released in 2015 recognized the territory as one of the world’s least corrupt places, including the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index and the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index. Established 41 years ago, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) safeguards Hong Kong’s deep-rooted culture of probity through a holistic strategy of enforcement, prevention and education. Its independence is enshrined in the Basic Law and the organization is backed by a community highly intolerant of corruption.

Interception

The Interception of Communications and Surveillance Ordinance provides a statutory regime for the authorization and regulation of the interception of communications and covert surveillance conducted by law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to prevent or detect serious crime and protect public security. The Commissioner on Interception of Communications and Surveillance is an independent oversight authority, appointed by the chief executive on the recommendation of the chief justice.

Correctional services

The Correctional Services Department (CSD) runs a comprehensive range of programs for adult and young persons in custody under two broad headings: prison management and rehabilitation of offenders.

(This section is dedicated to the coming 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return and the 20th anniversary of Shenzhen Daily, which fall on the same day — July 1.)