Wong visits border to observe passenger flow

The Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak has visited the Border Gate Checkpoint area on Saturday to observe the works being done regarding the cross-boundary passenger flow during the Lunar New Year holidays.

According to a statement from his office, the Secretary for Security said that his visit also had the purpose of providing moral support to the frontline staff who are working hard during the holidays to ensure that all the security measures are followed and that new crowd control measures for the Lunar New Year are enforced and work effectively.

Speaking to the media, Wong said that since “it has foreseen an increase of the number of visitors this year, staff had to suspend the days of vacations to begin some very exhausting work.” This implied that his visit was a symbolic ‘thank you’ to them for their work and dedication.

Questioned on the recent incident involving a vehicle that entered Macau illegally through the border checkpoint of the Lotus Flower Bridge, Wong said, “Customs Services are attentive to this type of incident and have already reinforced the area, and along with the Public Security Police Force (PSP), they [are in] communication with several Chinese authorities.” He then added that on January 29, an exercise drill was performed to test response capabilities to emergency situations, concluding that “the results were very positive.”

Wong hopes that through a series of measures such as the acquisition of more security equipment and other improvements to the borders’ strength, these kinds of cases can be prevented in the future.

Asked about the use of individual video cameras by police officers, the secretary said that such a measure “is currently awaiting the opinion from the Office for Personal Data Protection (GPDP). If [the evaluation] is positive, the authorities will, as soon as possible, implement the plan of adding the individual cameras to the officers’ personal equipment.” He added that the purpose of this measure is to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of both officers and citizens in the event of conflict or argument.  The measures are also designed to provide evidence of any incidents at the border, with Wong saying “at the same time, this could increase the effectiveness of law enforcement.”

Wong pledged to reveal more details on the matter. He stated that officers will be trained to use the equipment in a proper manner, noting in the near future that the government will organize awareness campaigns for the public regarding this topic before its implementation. RM