This area is dedicated to our overseas tourist and business visitors. The corresponding Chinese version is dedicated to visitors from the Greater China area.

We appreciate that in most cases, overseas visitors will only find their way to this page either if they are being extra cautious in advance of a first visit, or if they have been here already, but have been subject to some misfortune, whether minor or major.

We will thus take each of these two categories of visitor in turn:

Visitor Planning a Trip

Hong Kong is one of the safest cities in the world. There are very few incidences of muggings, and it is generally safe to walk around in the tourist areas at any time of the day or night. Nevertheless, as a stranger in a strange place, you should stay alert, and take personal responsibility for your own safety.

Most visitors arrive at Hong Kong International Airport which is located about 20 Km outside of the urban area. You can find details of transport to and from the airport here.

Police officers patrol both the arrivals area, and the greetings area of the airport. If you need to get in touch with an officer before you pass through customs, you should locate one of the many free telephones available to passengers; call 2182 1603 or 2182 1604, and ask to speak to the Duty Officer.

In an emergency, you should call 999 and follow the instructions of the operator.

Once you have passed through Immigration and Customs Control, you can use one of the two reporting centres located in the Passenger Terminal Area. The first is located in the centre of the Arrivals Area, next to Mannings Store. The second is located in the Departure Area, to the left (facing the departure gates), and at the rear of Check In Area "A" (Cathay Pacific Desks).

There is also a Police Post at the check In level of the downtown Hong Kong to Airport Express (Train Service). Look for this sign :

You can find maps pointing out the locations of the police posts here.

The first thing to be aware of in crowded areas, is the possibility of pickpockets and other thieves who create deliberate distractions, in order to separate you from your belongings. At the airport, do not leave your baggage unattended, and keep your wallet or purse where you can feel or see it.

Pickpocket gangs sometimes operate in the tourist areas, especially around road junctions, where a lot of natural jostling takes place. One tactic is to have an accomplice bump into a victim, whereupon the "expert" uses a tool to slice open the bottom of the victim's handbag. Even if the victim notices the theft, the contents of the bag have been quickly passed along to other accomplices.

If you are the victim of such an attack, you can try getting the assistance of passers-by by raising a "hue and cry". A police officer is never very far away and you can expect assistance very quickly.

You may have difficulty being understood in some quarters if you do not speak Cantonese. Try memorising the following useful phrases :

"Gaau Meng Ah !!" - "Help !!" - This is one way to raise a "hue and cry".

"Tau Yeah !!" - "Thief (literally - stealing !!)"

"Cheung Yeah !!" - "Snatcher (literally - snatching !!)" - also used for "hue and cry".

"Cheng man (short "a" sound), Chai Gwoon hai bin do ah ?" - Excuse me, where is the police station ?

All of the 999 emergency operators speak English, as well as Cantonese. So long as you speak slowly and distinctly in either of these languages, you will be understood.

In the unlikely event that you are "held up"; i.e. robbed by a criminal using force, try to stay calm, and remember that your personal safety comes before any personal item, no matter how valuable. Try to note things which might be useful to police later. The Hong Kong Police have a radio network which allows the broadcasting of descriptions to beat patrol officers, and the higher the quality of your information, the better chance of apprehending the culprits.

The following information is very useful (1) Type of weapon used (2) hair style (3) approximate age, height and weight (4) distinguishing features such as moles, scars, tattoos, piercings etc (5) shoes (6) socks (7) type of wrist watch (8) other clothes worn (only useful if they stand out) (9) direction of flight (10) car/van registration number (11) make, model colour of car/van.

Also remember that if the culprit touched anything which you have retained, it may be useful for fingerprint examination.

You can also find the telephone numbers and fax numbers of all police stations in Hong Kong through this link.

By far the most common complaints from visitors to Hong Kong concern deception during retail or other commercial transactions.

It is important that you know what you are buying before you enter into a transaction. The police can only investigate cases where criminal deception is suspected. In many cases, the victim may have obtained a "bad deal" - for instance, paying double the price as that offered by the shop next door - but such a transaction is not criminal unless the victim was given a false or misleading description of the item.

For instance, if you decide to buy a camera "model FX100" and negotiate a price of $1000 with the dealer, whereupon the deal is completed - it is not a deception if you later find out you could have bought the same model cheaper somewhere else. It is only a deception if you were told you were being sold model FX100 and later find out that it is in fact "model FX90".

Notwithstanding the fact that some sharp practices do not amount to criminal deception, the Consumer Council in Hong Kong is very concerned that some shopkeepers are tarnishing Hong Kong's good reputation, and they may be willing to take up civil, or other action on your behalf. You can contact them on their website.

Police in Tsim Sha Tsui (the main tourist area) are also concerned about these cases, and may still be able to offer you assistance even if you are not sure about your case, so contact them if you are in any doubt. The telephone number for the Duty Officer of Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station is 2678 2887.

If you would like to see the Laws of Hong Kong in more detail, click on the link.

Some other minor irritants which might affect you as a short time visitor to Hong Kong are the "copy watch" touts, and prostitutes.

In respect of the former, they normally ply their trade along Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. This is an illegal activity, and enforcement action is frequently taken by both police and Customs and Excise Department. Notwithstanding the illegality of this trade, you are advised for your own safety not to follow these touts into any private buildings.

In respect of prostitutes, a good many are themselves short time visitors to Hong Kong, mostly from neighbouring countries, but some also come from as far away as South America. The police and Immigration Department both take enforcement action against these individuals. Again, you are advised not to follow strangers into private buildings. Call girls will sometimes used an accomplice to rob their "clients". Take care also in bars, and watch your drinks. The current trend is for prostitutes to spike their client's drink before stealing valuables. When the client passes-out in a hotel room the prostitute will remove credit and ATM cards, copy or use the cards, then replace them before the client regains consciousness.

The Customs and Excise Department has taken severe action against copyright piracy of computer software, and such places as the "Golden Shopping Arcade" in Sham Shui Po are not the mecca's they once were. Visitors should also be aware that most juristictions, including Hong Kong, have laws making it an offence to import pirated goods.

Visitors who have left Hong Kong

If you have already left Hong Kong, and have been a victim of a crime, you should contact the Criminal Investigation Department through this link.

If you have lost property, and wish to file a report from overseas, you can do so online. However, if the property is subsequently found, some additional procedures have to be followed so that we can be sure it is returned to its rightful owner.

If you are unsure of how to proceed with your report, you can make a general enquiry first through this link.

We in the Hong Kong Police hope that you have found this information useful, and if there is anything else you would like us to include, please contact the Webmaster.