Police chief confirms 8,001 arrests in social unrest since June

Hong Kong's police chief on Tuesday said that 8,001 people were arrested, including 566 who were charged with rioting, in connection with the social unrest that has rocked the city since June last year.

Police Commissioner Chris Tang Ping-keung said that there has been a noticeable trend of juveniles getting involved in criminal activities. He said that 41 percent of the 8,001 people arrested were students. Since December, the number of secondary students arrested has exceeded that of college students, he added.

According to Tang, 1,365 suspects have been prosecuted with 57 convicted of offences including possession of offensive weapon in public place, desecration of the national flag. Fifteen of the convicted were sentenced to prison terms ranging from two weeks to 14 months.

He made the remarks at the Panel on Security of the Legislative Council to brief on the law and order situation in Hong Kong in 2019.

In Tang's view, the surge in the number of young offenders can be attributed to relentless instigation by people operating behind the scene for their own political gain. These shadowy figures have been spreading hatred against the Hong Kong government and the police while advocating the use of violence against those people holding opposing views.

Tang said the young people arrested were also victims. They were misled into believing that they could achieve their ends by breaking the law and committing violent crimes.

While the young people are paying the price for breaking the law, the instigators and their own children have stayed at a safe distance from the conflicts. They have reaped political capital at the expense of the future of the many young protesters, Tang pointed out.

He urged young people not to be used as pawns and ruin their own future by engaging in illegal activities.

He called on lawmakers at the panel meeting to jointly condemn violence. He also urged parents, school principals and teachers to impart the right values to young people and to promote a law-abiding culture.

Hong Kong saw 59,225 criminal cases in 2019, an increase of 9.2 percent compared to 2018. This was the first rise since 2007, according to Tang.

The overall detection rate fell to 37.1 percent, down 9.4 percentage points from 2018.