Civil protection warning system ready to use

Cheang Pou Seong

The newly installed civil protection warning system has already been tested and is ready to be used in August, about one month earlier than what was previously announced, according to the Commissioner-General of the Unitary Police Services (SPU), Ma Io Kun.

Ma made the announcement yesterday during a visit organized by the SPU to showcase its new equipment and command platform for emergency response. The new acquisitions, made in the aftermath of Typhoon Hato in Macau one year ago, aim to step up safety in case of major natural disasters such as heavy rain, tropical storms or typhoons.

Ma said the government takes the topic of emergency response very seriously and noted that the command platform “will enter into [full force] in disaster situations to support civil protection [operations] and, in a normal situation, can also be used for the purposes of training others in the civil protection field such as the performing of drills.”

The commissioner said that this is the first step towards a standardized civil protection platform to respond to emergency situations, which will be formed between 2022 and 2028.

For the time being – following the conclusion of the task force, which includes local security authorities as well as experts from Tsinghua University – the so-called short-term plan includes the establishment and improvement of different channels of emergency communication. These include broadcast channels such as TV and radio, as well as social media networks like Facebook and WeChat.

This system will also include digital information boards placed at border checkpoints, in the ferry terminals and different areas of the territory to provide information to residents and tourists alike.

The tour included the command operations room of the Civil Protection Operational Center (COPC) in the immigration building in Pac On, as well as a visit to several locations where street loudspeakers have been installed to warn the residents of danger. One high-powered speaker is located at a high point of the city (Guia Hill) with smaller ones located in lower areas such as the Inner Harbor, Fai Chi Kei and Ilha Verde.

In total, the authorities are said to have installed 90 speakers, which will broadcast warnings in three languages (Chinese, Portuguese and English).

The speakers will be located in three different stations (Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane), with higher-powered speakers placed at higher points throughout the city.

They will broadcast three types of warnings. As explained by Cheang Pou Seong, Head of the Community Policing and Public Relations Division, the first warning is related to “evacuation to a safe location (higher ground)” while the second one calls for “prompt evacuation”; the last and most severe one demands “immediate evacuation” from low floors and all low-lying areas to higher grounds or refugee centers.

There will also be specially equipped vehicles from the Security Forces that will broadcast the same warnings throughout streets in the affected areas.

The authorities will also issue warnings via SMS.

Commenting on the government’s efforts to improve safety and emergency drills, the Commissioner-General said, “The Civil Protection works are not an exclusive responsibility of the government and also require the cooperation and collaboration of the population in general and other [non-governmental] entities.”

PJ seeking suspects in taxi drivers’ brawl

Questioned on the sidelines of the event held by the security authorities on Civil Protections Equipment and Information Broadcasting, Judiciary Police (PJ) director Sit Chong Meng said that the force was aware of the recent brawl involving taxi drivers in the Cotai area. The situation was recorded by a resident and has gone viral on several social networks. “As soon as we were [made] aware of the incident, we started investigations and are currently seeking […] information and the people involved,” said Sit. The director added that the brawl had involved at least 10 people, all of whom are believed to be taxi drivers. He added that one person was injured and that the brawl started while a large group of taxi drivers were waiting for passengers near a hotel in Cotai.