2016 Policy Address | Gov’t to launch anti-cybercrime center, tighten video surveillance

Wong Sio Chak (center)

Security authorities plan to launch preparatory works next year for a new network security center as part of their premeditated anti-cybercrime efforts, the Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak hinted during a Legislative Assembly (AL) debate yesterday.
The department, which will operate under the Judiciary Police, seeks to tackle the variety of emerging security incidents in cyberspace, Wong noted. Such an initiative was initially slated for two years ago, but was later shelved as the authorities found it hard to employ related tech specialists under the existing remunerative package for civil servants.
The purportedly well-intentioned policy raised skepticism among some lawmakers who believed that it might compromise citizens’ privacy as much as the citywide surveillance did. “On one hand they help prevent crimes and collect evidence as an important tool, but it remains a concern in society how the balance can be struck between security and safeguarding privacy,” said lawmaker Chui Sai Peng.
The secretary played down the policy’s possible public interest impacts, stressing that the initiative endorsed by the city’s government was to monitor Internet data flow with “internationally recognized means” in an attempt to identify any potential risk beforehand for the sake of the “public interest.”
“The establishment of the center and its related system has absolutely nothing to do with supervision and limitation of legal conduct,” Wong proclaimed, “let alone deprivation of civil rights and freedom of speech.”
He further stressed that the authorities had to firstly get the green light from the independent Office for Personal Data Protection before pressing ahead with initiatives associated with probable compromise of privacy.
In addition, he cited the already-established systems regulating online activities in neighboring regions to bolster the formulation of the policy, which would still have to undergo an analysis and study next year.
In response to a lawmaker’s inquiries over the expected efficacy of the 1620-camera surveillance system, Wong believed that the equipment arranged in collaboration with the Infrastructure Development Office would be commensurate with expected standards, despite not being privy to the apparatus model and its cost in the debate.
“The cameras haven’t begun operations yet; we have yet to know whether such technologies will meet our demand,” he said, also pledging to review the performance of the surveillance cameras once they were put into service.
The installation of surveillance across the territory was expected to be completed within five years, with 219 cameras in the first phase becoming operational since June. The second and the third phases, involving 263 and 338 cameras respectively, are set to launch at the end of this year.

report on late customs chief’s death released when appropriate

Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak pledged to unveil “a certain degree” of the outcome of the inquiry into late customs director-general Lai Man Wa’s purported suicide only with her family’s endorsement. During the legislative debate, the secretary was once again pressed for the motive behind the deceased’s death by lawmakers Au Kam San and Ng Kuok Cheong, who remain dubious of the episode. Wong revealed that investigators have now finished much of the probe. Upon completion, the report will have to be submitted to the Public Prosecutions Office for further review before the authorities confirm a final version. Yet no timeframe for the entire probe is as yet available.

‘tourist police’ on the horizon

Authorities announced that additional manpower resources would be deployed to major tourist attractions next year, with duties specifically for crowd control and prevention of crimes. Following an ad hoc task force set up last August and its deployment in April this year around the Ruins of St Paul, the authorities decided to officially turn it into a response squad for contingencies in tourist spots such as the A-ma Temple and Lotus Square. Police officers with higher language proficiency are the potential candidates to be enlisted into the ever-expanding team, Public Security Police Force commissioner Leong Man Cheong said.

Current anti-terrorism efforts sufficient to meet all threats

Anti-terrorism efforts are not subject to a scale that determines the extent of possible risks the region faces, with security forces maintaining the same alertness and response levels as if the region were facing an immediate or even high risk of terrorist assault, Wong Sio Chak explained in the legislative debate.
In response to lawmakers’ interpellations over the prospective setup of an index that describes the scale of terrorist threats to which Macau is subject, Wong said it was currently under official analysis, while recognizing the need to devise such an indicator.
“Although we don’t have such an index in Macau at the moment, the risks are relatively low,” claimed Wong.
Given that estimate, the Secretary for Security reckoned the existing deployment of security measures were “secure” and “safe” enough to respond to any unexpected violence.
“The set-up of a safety index is simply an issue to consider in the future,” said Wong. “It does not yet affect our anti-terrorism efforts.”