Hong Kong’s anti-terror hotline received over 28,000 messages since June 2022 launch, police say

Hong Kong police have received over 28,000 tip-offs via the anti-terrorism hotline since its launch in June 2022, including reports of suspected possession of weapons and suspected harbouring of explosives.

Inter-departmental counter-terrorism exercise "Tigerpace." — Inter-departmental counter-terrorism exercise “Tigerpace.” File photo: Leo Ma/HKFP.

Police told HKFP on Wednesday that public vigilance against terrorism increased as the authorities heightened promotion and educational efforts, and encouraged residents to report suspicious activity.

Hotline ‘upgrade’

Upon its launch, police said the hotline was an “upgrade” to an existing anti-violence hotline, which was set up in 2019 as city-wide protests erupted against a since-axed extradition bill.

Jimmy Lai trial police High Court — Police on standby at the High Court on December 1, 2022, when media mogul Jimmy Lai’s trial under the national security law is set to begin. Photo: Candice Chau/HKFP.

According to the Inter-departmental Counter Terrorism Unit (ICTU), one of the reports received by the hotline concerned a suspected case of possession of a prohibited weapon, while another one involved an individual who suspected that someone in their social circle was harbouring illegal explosives.

The hotline received reports from netizens who came across online posts which they deemed to be related to terrorism and violence, the unit said. In recent months, others had filed reports about a residential building which was suspected of storing too many dangerous items. And there were also reports of suspicious roadside objects, such as a suitcase, received by the hotline, police said.

The force granted a “Counter-Terrorism Reward” to some individuals who made reports. Meanwhile, some cases marked as non-terrorism or non-violence-related were recommended for other police reward programmes or the Good Citizen Award.

National flags of China and HKSAR flags in Hong Kong. File photo: GovHK.

Hong Kong also has a separate reporting hotline managed by the police National Security Department for gathering national security-related intelligence from members of the public.

Logistics industry

The ICTU told HKFP on Wednesday that it had launched an initiative to encourage the logistics industry to pay attention to suspicious individuals or activities. The industry has more than 160,000 workers who handle a large amount of parcels every day and visit various districts in the city for deliveries.

“As a result, they may come across information related to terrorism or other criminal activities,” police said.

Since September last year, the ICTU was in contact with 67 multinational and local logistics companies to improve their awareness of preventing terrorism and crime. Talks were also held on how to build a safe community, police said.