Tip-off awards up ahead for cabbies

The police force is launching a campaign today to encourage taxi drivers to spot and report suspected "terrorist" activity.

The campaign comes after a cabby received the first anti-terrorism reward in March for helping in the arrest of two people convicted of plotting a bomb attack in a taxi.

In June, two cabbies tipped off the police after spotting thugs with weapons in Tuen Mun and Sheung Shui, leading to seven arrests.

Last month, a taxi driver in Tai Wai reported a suspicious male passenger, who was later arrested for trafficking drugs.

Since the dedicated hotline 6366-6999 was launched last June, police have received more than 20,000 tip-offs from 5,100 people on suspected terrorist activity. Over 14 percent merited further investigation.

Senior superintendent Peter Leung Wai-ki of the interdepartmental counter terrorism unit said cabbies can definitely play a key role.

He cited the Liverpool bomb attack in November 2021, in which a taxi driver spotted the red light on the vest of a bomber who was planning to blow up a cathedral.

"There are three other cases that match eligibility claims for the release of the anti-terrorism reward. They are the subject of legal procedures and will have to wait until the officer-in-charge nominates the informant," he said, refusing to go into detail about rewards.

Leung said the terrorism threat level is moderate, meaning there is the possibility of an attack but no specific intelligence to suggest that the SAR is likely to be a target.

A taxi driver, Chan, who received the good citizen award in 2021, said reporting crimes is a duty and warned people not to take action only when it's too late.

He said: "I never thought about winning any award; I just told police what I saw."

Chan was exiting Lion Rock Tunnel when he saw a police roadblock ahead. It seemed to him the vehicle ahead of him wanted to make a U-turn and the driver kept opening and closing the door.

Chan saw a knife and reported to an officer, leading to a chase and an arrest for possession of offensive weapons and drug trafficking.

"I only learned about the arrest after I finished my night shift. I felt at ease because I helped prevent a crime. We all want to live in a safe city."

Sonia Cheng Man-yee, chairwoman of the Taxi Dealers & Owners Association, said cabbies meet different people and see a lot of things as they usually drive around 500 kilometers every day.

She said the industry is thrilled to be taking part in the campaign, saying drivers are now given another role, that of a community crime detector, which is similar to their past role of travel ambassador.