Railway District (RAILDIST) is the designated formation assigned to provide day-to-day policing service for the railway system. In accordance with the Integrated Railway Policing Strategy, other units such as the Police Tactical Unit, the Emergency Unit and the Counter Terrorism Response Unit are deployed to conduct patrols in paid and unpaid areas of MTR stations, while officers of surface formations are also deployed to the railway system for handling emergencies and major incidents, as well as conducting crowd management operations. In order to enhance officers’ understanding of the environment of the railway system and support the Force’s Strategic Direction of “Embracing the Use of Technology for Policing in the Digital Age”, RAILDIST launched a virtual photo mapping application “Railway 360” on December 20, 2021 to enable officers to easily view 360-degree panoramic images of MTR stations.

With the use of Force computers and Force smart devices, officers can access the “Railway 360” application under the “Operation” section of the Departmental Portal. The application is equipped with functions such as zooming in and out, to allow officers to virtually walk through MTR stations to get a comprehensive view of the environment and special features. Apart from being a navigation tool for operation and investigation, the station layout maps in the application can also be downloaded for deployment planning and briefing purposes.

“Railway 360” application enables officers to easily view 360-degree panoramic images of MTR stations.