XN000022-1982-07-14 — Page 3

WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1982

POLICE LOOKING INTO INCIDENTS'

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POLICE ARE NOW INVESTIGATING THE INCIDENTS INVOLVING REPORTERS WHICH OCCURRED IN LOCKHART ROAD, WAN CHAI ON JULY 2, 3 AND 4, THE ACTING SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, MR J.R. HEYWOOD, SAID TODAY.

SPEAKING IN REPLY TO A QUESTION ABOUT THE INCIDENTS BY THE HON LYDIA DUNN AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, MR HEYWOOD SAID A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION WOULD TAKE SOME TIME, +BECAUSE OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE INVOLVED AND THE ALLEGATIONS AND COUNTER ALLEGATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE.+

IN ADDITION, THE COMPLAINTS AND INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS WING IS CARRYING OUT AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO THE POLICE HANDLING OF THE INCIDENT.

+UNTIL ALL THESE INVESTIGATIONS AND ENQUIRIES ARE CONCLUDED, AND IT HAS BEEN DECIDED WHETHER OR NOT ANY CRIMINAL CHARGES ARE APPROPRIATE, IT WOULD NOT BE PROPER TO GIVE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION, HE SAID.

MR HEYWOOD SAID THE INCIDENTS AROSE FOLLOWING A RAID ON PREMISES IN LOCKHART ROAD BY THE POLICE COMMERCIAL CRIME BUREAU, WHICH ATTRACTED A LARGE NUMBER OF MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES.

IN THE COURSE OF POLICE ENQUIRIES SOME 50-60 PERSONS, WHO WERE FOUND NOT TO BE CONNECTED WITH THE INVESTIGATION, WERE ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE PREMISES. AS THEY WERE LEAVING THE BUILDING AN ALTERCATION OCCURRED BETWEEN THEM AND A NUMBER OF REPORTERS. ORDER WAS RESTORED BUT 10 PERSONS LATER RECEIVED TREATMENT FOR MINOR INJURIES AT HOSPITAL, HE SAID.

THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED ON THE EVENING OF JULY 3, WHEN ANOTHER ALTERCATION TOOK PLACE AT THE SAME LOCATION. AS A RESULT, FIVE PERSONS LATER RECEIVED TREATMENT FOR MINOR INJURIES AT HOSPITAL.

+THIS INCIDENT HAD A SEQUEL LATER THE SAME EVEN ING; WHILST ENQUIRIES WERE BEING CONDUCTED AT THE WAN CHAI POLICE STATION A NUMBER OF PERSONS HAD TO BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE STATION, HE SAID.

A THIRD INCIDENT OCCURRED IN THE AFTERNOON OF JULY 4, WHEN A LARGE GROUP OF REPORTERS WENT TO THE WAN CHAI POLICE STATION AND ASKED FOR POLICE PROTECTION TO BE PROVIDED WHEN THEY RETURNED TO THE SCENE OF THE PREVIOUS INCIDENTS.

AFTER DISCUSSIONS WITH THE POLICE THE REPORTERS WENT TO THE SCENE IN SMALL GROUPS AND TOOK PHOTOGRAPHS. A POLICE PRESENCE WAS PROVIDED AND IT WAS MADE CLEAR THAT THIS WAS TO ENSURE THAT THERE WOULD BE NO FURTHER BREACHES OF THE PEACE, HE SAID.

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