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The opening of the new Police Control Room at Tsing Yi Mass Transit Railway (MTR)Station will help to ensure that the best policing service possible is provided to both public commuters and travellers to Hong Kong alike, said Regional Commander Kowloon East, John Yuen Ying-lam.

"With its sophisticated settings and equipment and our professionalism, the new Police Control Room at Tsing Yi MTR Station will enable us to maintain the finest tradition of the Hong Kong Police Force," said Mr Yuen, officiating at its opening.

"A lot of hard work and effort have been put into the project to make it a success, and in this connection I would like to thank the Force's Information Technology Branch and Communications Branch, as well as the Mass Transit Railway Corporation and Motorola Asia Pacific Limited," he added.

The new Police Control Room became operational last Sunday (June 21) to coincide with the opening of the MTR Tung Chung Line. "The existing Police Control Room at Kowloon Bay will continue to provide police service to the existing MTR lines (and run parallel to Tsing Yi) for a period of 22 months until its migration to Tsing Yi Station in March 2000," said Deputy District Commander MTR District, Superintendent Yuen Chi-keung.

Moreover, an additional 70 uniform officers and two civilian staff will be added to the present establishment to police the new Tung Chung and Airport Express MTR lines.

With the opening of the Lantau and Airport Railway, two new police posts, serving as reporting centres, will also be set up at the Hong Kong and Kowloon Stations where air travellers will be required to check their luggage at the stations' in-town-check-in-counters before taking the train on to the new airport. Subsequently, Police will also step up their patrols at these two stations to ensure the security of travellers' property - which will be awaiting them for pick up at Chek Lap Kok airport, which opens July 6.

Said SP Yuen: "Police will continue to conduct station and train patrols covering the travel hours of the MTR lines from 5:45am to 1:15am. In addition to uniform patrols, five teams of task force officers will also be deployed to perform anti-crime patrols covering station concourses, platforms and train compartments to ensure the MTR remains one of the safest mass transit systems in the world."

Police Report No.4

Issued by PPRB

End/1645 Hrs, Wednesday, June 24, 1998 (PP)

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