A survey conducted by the University of Hong Kong’s Public Opinion Poll (POP) has revealed that the city’s satisfaction with the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) has fallen to 61 (out of 100) – the lowest it’s been since the handover in 1997.
Surprised? Nah, us neither. Like we even needed an opinion poll to tell us this.
According to the figures, the police now rank even lower than the city’s People’s Liberation Army garrison, which scored a net satisfaction of 63.1 points.
The survey was launched roughly six weeks after the start of the Occupy protests, between Nov. 25 and 28. It saw 545 Hongkongers asked the question: “Are you satisfied with the performance of the Hong Kong Police Force?”
POP director Robert Chung attributed the declining support for the force to their (at times brutal) handling of all the Occupy Central shenanigans.
He called upon the HKPF to act in a more professional manner, and requested that they leave political problems to the politicians. If only it was that simple, aye?
The survey also showed that other disciplinary services in the city actually rose in their satisfaction ratings. The Fire Service was top of the pack with a score of 80.2 (what’s not to love?), while the Immigration Department came in second with a respectable 73.3.
In an interview with the SCMP, however, a police source insisted that the Occupy operations to clear the roads have not stopped people from wanting to join the police. More than 1,000 have signed up for a recruitment day on Saturday, and the HKPF aims to take on an additional 1,340 officers by the end of the fiscal year.
Maybe the police’s “Reaching Full Potential” poster down at Exchange Square has inspired some Hongkongers to do something other than smirk after all.
Photo: Alex Hotz/Coconuts Media
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