The Hong Kong Police Force has deployed comprehensive security preparations for nearly two years to ensure the successful hosting of the 15th National Games (opening November 9) and the 12th National Paralympic Games & 9th Special Olympics (opening December 8).
Extensive tabletop exercises have been conducted to address various emergency scenarios, with cross-departmental drills for major incidents and counter-terrorism responses completed at every competition venue. These measures have enhanced collaboration and response capabilities between police and stakeholders, while comprehensive crowd management and traffic arrangements have established a solid foundation for Hong Kong's successful event hosting.
Senior Superintendent Robert Lok Wai-keung of the Police Operations Department (National Games Special Duties) stated that police established a three-tier organizational structure in November 2023 to manage preparations. This includes a Steering Committee led by the Deputy Commissioner (Operations), a Police Headquarters Planning and Coordination Team led by the Director of Operations, plus eight working groups and two special topic groups covering different aspects of the National Games.
A special task force was also formed to work closely with the National Games Hong Kong SAR Coordination Office and other government departments, developing operational plans for venue security, cybersecurity, and traffic control. Coordination has been maintained with national, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao government levels for security planning, organization, and coordination.
The Coordination Office successfully conducted test events from November last year to June this year for eight competition sports and two cross-border events. Lok noted that testing covered competition and venue setup, live broadcast signals, venue security, crowd management, traffic arrangements, event operations, emergency rescue planning, command and control, and cross-departmental coordination.
From the fourth quarter of last year to the third quarter of this year, police conducted cross-departmental drills for major incidents and counter-terrorism responses at all competition venues, enhancing all-round coordination and response capabilities. Over 600 volunteers were mobilized, including serving and retired officers, "Police Community Youth Club" and "Junior Police Call" members, and "Police Mentorship Programme" participants.
Superintendent Ko Chung-ying of the Major Incident Division's Key Points and Search Group stated that personnel will conduct venue searches, entry security checks, drone management, and utilize drones for operational duties at venues, athlete hotels, and media centers.
Ko detailed that three working groups will execute these tasks: The Police Search Team will thoroughly inspect locations including elevated and confined spaces to ensure venues are "clean" before operation; The Police Dog Unit's explosive detection dogs will handle dangerous goods searches, with patrol dogs also serving as operational mainstays; The Police Drone Team will use drones to create 3D aerial maps before searches, assisting resource allocation and enhancing personnel's understanding of venue layouts. Drones will also provide aerial surveillance during the Games, transmitting real-time footage around venues to command centers to support crowd and traffic control.
Senior Superintendent Yip Kit-fai of Kowloon East Operations mentioned that six National Games and Paralympic events will occur in Eastern Kowloon Region, with preparations beginning one year ago. Two tabletop exercises in August and September involved over 100 participants from 12 government departments and organizations, simulating various emergencies at Kai Tak Sports Park and Hong Kong Velodrome, including detailed scenarios like handling prohibited items found on attendees.
Lok added that police are currently studying whether contingency plans and execution mechanisms can be further optimized, while providing final training for involved personnel and coordinating event preparation details with other departments. Personnel will be appropriately deployed according to different competition schedules and venues, with suitable arrangements for crowd management and traffic control to ensure smooth and secure event operations.
