The Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) on Tuesday afternoon said it received 1,783 new reportable complaints referred by the Complaints Against Police Office last year, a 10 percent year-on-year increase.
During the period, the council endorsed 1,790 complaint cases, an increase of 9.7 percent, involving 2,530 allegations.
The three most common allegation types were “neglect of duty,” “misconduct/impoliteness/foul language,” and “assault,” rising 13 percent, 6 percent, and 17 percent respectively year-on-year.
According to the council’s annual report, of the 2,530 endorsed allegations, 309 required full investigation of which 38 were substantiated, accounting for 12 percent of the cases requiring investigation.
Among these, 30 cases were previously unreported but were found to be true.
In response to IPCC-endorsed cases last year, the Police took 68 follow-up actions against officers found in breach, down 14 percent year-on-year.
Senior Superintendent of the Complaints Against Police Office Yu Wai-kit said during the meeting that 2,347 reportable allegation items were received from January to November this year, a six percent year-on-year increase.
He said that the increase mainly came from complaints arising from uniformed duties, while those related to criminal investigation and traffic duties declined.
The main categories involved “failure to investigate cases properly and thoroughly,” “impoliteness,” and “failure to take timely action or delayed action,” with 97 percent of complaints being minor in nature.
Yu added that during the same period the IPCC endorsed 2,459 complaint items, 46 percent of which could not be pursued due to lack of cooperation from complainants. Thirty-nine items were substantiated, accounting for 1.6 percent of the total.
Council chair Priscilla Wong Pui-sze said that as a civilized society, Hong Kong recognizes complaints against police as a civil right, but complainants also have a responsibility to provide their names and contact details.
She stressed that once an investigation begins it will be handled seriously and if cases cannot be pursued, it only wastes time and effort.
