Values of Caring and Integrity |
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Upright and Honest Officers
As a police officer, if you are asked whether you will accept bribes, I think all of you will say no. However, if a large bundle of banknotes is flashed before your eyes, and nobody knows anything about this, do you think you can resist such a temptation? In fact, two of our colleagues can.
They are Senior Inspector Wong Ho-pui and Police Constable Yeung Chi-wo. They have never succumbed to the temptation of money. They have chosen to uphold their principles and maintain police officers' dignity and professional ethics. Their conducts show that the Force today is a professional and corruption free disciplined department.
In the first bribery case, SIP Wong led the Special Duties Squad of Yau Tsim District in a raid on a vice establishment at Jordan Road. After the keeper of the establishment and four women had been arrested in the operation, a woman involved in the case sent an anonymous letter by registered mail to SIP Wong five days later. In the letter she offered a $30,000 monthly payment, or a $500,000 one-off payment, to SIP Wong in return for not taking further action against her vice establishment. She also suggested SIP Wong opened a bank account on the Mainland for her to deposit the money. She even left her contact mobile phone number in the anonymous letter.
The Force procedures for reporting corrupt practices immediately came to SIP Wong's mind and he reported the case to his supervisor, the District Operations Officer. He also kept the anonymous letter as an exhibit. His supervisor subsequently referred the case to ICAC. Eventually the woman concerned was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment.
SIP Wong still felt the bribery offer inconceivable when he recalled his feelings of receiving the anonymous letter. "I can't believe that someone will do that nowadays. Their mindsets are dated to the 1960s and 1970s. They still think they can buy off police officers! They are so stupid, ... Just imagine what generation we are in now. Even the HKID Card has transformed into a smart card. We are professionals and we have dignity."
In another bribery case, PC Yeung, from the Commercial Crime Bureau (CCB), was investigating a commercial theft when a businessman from Taiwan rang him to say that he would like to provide an important document to the police. They arranged to meet in CCB 10 days later. However three days later the businessman rang PC Yeung again and asked if they could meet in private outside the police station. PC Yeung was on alert and rejected the suggestion right away. He insisted that they could only meet in the police station.
The Taiwanese businessman had no choice but to meet PC Yeung in CCB as agreed. The document he brought along turned out to be not as important as he had claimed. All of a sudden, he gave PC Yeung a note, which stated that he would offer PC Yeung $30,000 for the assistance PC Yeung had given him. After reading the note, PC Yeung left the meeting room and reported the matter to his supervisor. The supervisor returned to the meeting room with PC Yeung and arrested the businessman. They also found $30,000 on him.
Later PC Yeung's Formation Commander referred the case to the ICAC and the businessman was subsequently sentenced to three months' imprisonment.
During an interview with OffBeat, PC Yeung recalled: "I was very angry when I saw the note. It was insulting and he had gone too far. What did he take me for? ... Did he think I would accept that ill-gotten money at the expense of my dignity and prospects?"
What will PC Yeung do if it was $30 million instead of $30,000?
"No, even if he had offered me $30 million!" said PC Yeung firmly. He asked: "Can I live comfortably for the rest of my life, and have a good sleep every night? Can I use the money without any fear? What about my family? How can I face my wife and my daughter?"
Two officers commended
These two honest police officers have been commended for their integrity. In a letter to SIP Wong, Director of Management Services Mike Dowie stated: "You have set a good model to all police officers." CCB Acting SSP (Fraud) Chung Siu-yeung also wrote to PC Yeung to commend his honesty.
After his commendation, PC Yeung said with modesty: "I am not a big hero. I just did my job. I believe other colleagues would also make the same decision in the same situation."
SIP Wong simply pointed out the crux of the corruption problem: "I lead a healthy lifestyle and never gamble. I am not a big spender and do not have any debts, so I can resist the temptation of money. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and upholding positive values are the most effective ways to resist temptation."
The ICAC said the two bribery cases had fully shown frontline officers' determination to say "no" to corruption. That the cases were immediately referred to ICAC underscored the effective working partnership between the Force and ICAC in combating corruption.
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