Hong Kong’s new police chief hopes to instil a sense of duty into residents to encourage them to defend national security in their daily lives, saying the city cannot afford to experience more clashes such as those during the 2019 social unrest.
Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming also said he was neither a “hawkish” hardliner nor a “dovish” moderate in terms of his policing style, adding that the force should be tough on crime but could be softer when reaching out to the public to explain its work.
“I’d rather the public think of me as someone diligent than a hawkish or dovish figure. As a biology graduate, I think hawks and doves are both great,” Chow said.
“Sometimes, you have to tell people what is right and what is wrong. Other times, you can adopt softer approaches to explain our work to residents, depending on the nature of the task.”
The police chief said national security extended beyond the city’s two national security laws and covered other areas, such as cybersecurity.
