EU officers have fruitful visit down under
A five-member delegation from the Emergency Unit (EU) of New Territories South and Hong Kong Island regions visited Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and met officers of the Queensland Police Service from September 22 to October 1. The visit enhanced mutual understanding between the Force and the Queensland Police Service and proved beneficial to the delegation members.
Led by Chief Inspector Chan Chun-fai and comprising Senior Inspectors Kwok Man-wai and Sin Chor-ka as well as Sergeants Kwan Kar-wing and Kwong Chi-tat, the delegation called at the Brisbane Police Headquarters of the Queensland Police Service and met Assistant Commissioner, Mr Brett Pointing. The delegation observed the job of local policing, especially that of the Public Safety Response Team (PSRT) in handling offensive weapon and domestic violence.
The PSRT will restructure their teams to deal with minor riots and carry out immediate rescue operation. Hence, its job nature is very similar to the EU and both the PSRT and the Force have quite a number of good practices to share. The delegation also found out that some equipment being used by the PSRT might be introduced to the Force.
Superintendent Dale Pointon from the Operations Support Command explained the structure and job of the PSRT and introduced frontline officers to the delegation members. Both parties discussed training programmes, tactics and the resistance control tactics adopted by the PSRT. The delegation also introduced the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the roles of the EU.
As the Queensland Police Service is preparing for the coming G20 summit to be held in Queensland in 2014, the delegation shared the Force's experience of dealing with the riots occurred during the Sixth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation in December 2005.
During a visit to a large-scale crowd control operation, the delegation members observed deployment and traffic and crowd management tactics for the Brisbane Festival. The delegation also visited the Command and Control Centre of the Queensland Police Service and boarded a new police command launch to observe the operation for a fireworks display in Brisbane River on September 29.
The delegation also had an on-site observation of the Outlaw Motor Cycle Gang (OMCG) Operation that involved deployment of over 140 police officers, including those from the PSRT, Crime Unit and Traffic, as well as general patrol officers. Police helicopters were also deployed in the operation.
During the OMCG National Run at Caloundra from September 28 to 30, the delegation observed how the Queensland Police Service handled the cyclists and asked them to take a drug test at the scene.
During their visit to Australia, the delegation members gained an insight into crowd management tactics and the PSRT's approach to deal with the OMCG as well as its training and equipment.
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delegation meets a patrol officer of the Queensland Police Service