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Following is a question by the Hon Cyd Ho Sau-lan and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mrs Regina Ip, in the Legislative Council today (January 15):

Question:

With regard to the video-recording of public processions by the Police, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the criteria adopted by the Police for deciding whether or not to take video records of public processions, and whether uniformed officers or plain-clothes officers should be deployed to do video-recording;

(b) whether the Police deployed uniformed and plain-clothes officers to take video records of the public procession held on December 15 last year by some organizations against the enactment of laws to implement Article 23 of the Basic Law; if so, of the respective numbers of the two types of police officers deployed;

(c) if only plain-clothes officers were deployed to do video-recording on that day, whether and how the Police had tried to inform the participants in the procession of the Police's taking video records of them and of the justifications for doing so;

(d) whether the Police made use of the closed circuit television systems of the Transport Department to monitor the procession on that day and to take shots of the faces of the participants in the procession; and

(e) how the Administration will dispose of the personal data collected in relation to parts (b) to (d) above, and to ensure that the relevant procedures are in compliance with the data protection principles under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486)?

Reply:

Madam President,

(a) The over-riding principle governing the video-recording of public order events is that it is the event, not the personalities involved, that is the subject. Only if a breach of the peace is likely to occur, or has occurred, will the behaviour of individuals suspected of causing that breach become the subject. The purpose of taking video records of major public order events is not to target individuals. Instead, it is to enable the Police to evaluate their policing strategy in order to improve management of such events in future. In cases where offences are committed, such videotapes may be used as evidence. Video-recording is carried out by trained officers who are conspicuously identified by wearing proper Police working dress, and where possible, accompanied by uniformed officers.

(b) Six officers responsible for video-recording and wearing the Police working dress were deployed to the event. However, they did not take video records of the event.

(c) Police officers did not take video record during the event in question.

(d) The Police monitored the traffic condition along the route whilst the procession was in progress by using Transport Department's Area Traffic Control System. This was to ensure that disruption to pedestrian and vehicular traffic was minimized. However, no video-recording was made in the process.

(e) As mentioned in parts (b) to (d) of this reply, the Police did not take video record during the event.

End/Wednesday, January 15, 2003

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