ENG-2015 — Page 310

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Public Order

Counter Terrorism

The police maintained a high degree of vigilance and a state of operational readiness commensurate with the prevailing terrorist threat level. They also maintained close liaison with other government departments and private organisations, including those responsible for critical infrastructure, on security and counter terrorism measures. The police also conducted joint exercises regularly to enhance their response capability for any terrorist attack.

Traffic

In 2015, there were 16,170 traffic accidents involving casualties, with 2,510 cases involving serious injuries and 117 involving fatalities. The number of accidents involving casualties increased 2.4 per cent and the number of accidents involving serious injuries or fatalities increased 0.8 per cent compared with 2014.

Public Order Events

Hong Kong residents enjoy freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, procession and demonstration. In 2015, 6,029 public meetings and processions were held. The police are committed to handling all public order events in a fair, just and impartial manner in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong. In handling such events, the police ensure public order and safety is maintained while endeavouring to strike a balance between facilitating all lawful and peaceful public meetings and processions on one hand, and minimising the adverse impact of these events on other members of the public on the other hand.

Public Relations

The Police Public Relations Branch (PPRB) continued to enlist public support in maintaining law and order by working in partnership with the media and the community. It disseminated information about police activities to local and overseas media round the clock and released information on unforeseen incidents through an interactive electronic platform. The branch also helped the Fight Crime Committee plan and implement its publicity campaigns.

The PPRB continued to expand its use of social media to strengthen the dissemination channels of police messages, adopting a creative and interactive approach to enhance communication and reach out to different sectors of the community. In addition to the Hong Kong Police Mobile Application and the Hong Kong Police YouTube channel, it launched the Hong Kong Police Facebook in October to further enhance public understanding of policing activities, crime prevention and other matters.

The PPRB's Police Magazine, Police Report and Police Bulletin provided information on crime trends and crime prevention measures. In addition, the branch helped local and overseas television broadcasters and film production companies produce dramas, documentaries and films related to police work, and liaised with other government agencies on location filming.

The PPRB also published a fortnightly newspaper, OffBeat; the monthly Junior Police Call Newsletter; and Hong Kong Police Review.

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