Emergency Unit (Hong Kong)

Hong Kong Police Force Traditional Chinese:
Logo of the Hong Kong Police Force Traditional Chinese:
Motto	We Serve with Pride and Care Traditional Chinese:
Agency overview
Employees	33,956 (as at 31 Jan 2017)
Annual budget	HKD $16.8 billion (2015–2016)
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Governing body	Security Bureau (Hong Kong)
General nature	Law enforcement Civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	1 Arsenal Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Sworn members	29,377 (as at 31 Jan 2017)
Minister responsible	Lai Tung-kwok, Secretary for Security
Agency executive	Stephen Lo Wai-chung, Commissioner of Police
Website
Hong Kong Police Force

External video

seven plainclothes policemen assaulting a handcuffed protester on 15 November

The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) (Chinese: 香港警務處) is the largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. It is the world's second, and Asia's first, police agency to operate with a modern policing system. It was formed on 1 May 1844 by the British Hong Kong government with a strength of 32 officers. In 1969, Queen Elizabeth II granted the 'Royal' prefix and the HKPF became the "Royal Hong Kong Police Force", only to be removed in 1997 upon the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong to China.

Due to the one country, two systems perspective, the mainland authorities may not interfere Hong Kong's local law enforcement affairs. HKPF is completely independent from the jurisdiction of Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China.

The current Commissioner of Police is Stephen Lo Wai-chung. Including the Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force and civil servants, the force consists of about 34,000 personnel; which gave Hong Kong the second highest police officer/citizen ratio in the world in 2014. The Marine Region with about 3,000 officers and a fleet of 143 vessels in 2009, was the largest such marine division of any civil police force.

The Hong Kong Police has been serving Hong Kong since shortly after the island was established as a colony in 1841. On 30 April 1841, 12 weeks after the British landed in Hong Kong, Captain Charles Elliot established a police force in the new colony. The first chief of police was Captain William Caine, who also served as the Chief Magistrate.