Handover Ceremony - WB/IMF Annual Meetings

A Planning and Implementation Team was set up at Police Headquarters
in January to deal with all security matters relating to the Handover
Ceremony and WB/IMF Annual Meetings. It was led by an Assistant
Commissioner of Police, assisted by seven experienced officers ranging
from the rank of Chief Superintendent to Chief Inspector. It worked
closely with the main organising bodies of the two events and acted as a
link between the Force and other agencies in the development and
subsequent implementation of security plans.

To prepare for this, Police officers were sent abroad between 1994 and
1997 to observe major international conferences and meetings. These
included the WB/IMF Annual Meetings in Madrid and Washington, DC,
the Olympic Games in Atlanta, the Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting in New Zealand and the World Trade Organisation Meeting in
Singapore. Officers also attended overseas training courses to enhance
their skills in conducting large-scale security operations and crowd
control events.

For the Handover Ceremony, 2 000 officers were deployed at the
Extension to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC)
and the East Tamar site where the official ceremonies were held. The
Police Tactical Unit, VIP Protection Unit, Force Search Cadre, Force
Escort Group, Special Duties Unit, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit,
Police Dog Unit and other non-front-line units were mobilised. Special
equipment such as metal detector archways, X-ray machines and
electronic search equipment were acquired to assist in the operations.

Screening stations were set up at strategic locations at the Extension to
the HKCEC for security checks. Officers from the Police Tactical Unit
were deployed to maintain venue security and the VIP Protection Unit was
temporarily expanded to cater for the mammoth task of protecting 65
dignitaries. It was supported by the Force Escort Group to ensure smooth
passage for the dignitaries under protection. The Special Duties Unit was
deployed to counter any potential threats. Good rapport was built among
all parties and the protection service provided was highly regarded.

More than 6 000 local and international media representatives were
accredited to cover the Handover Ceremony and Hong Kong became
literally the focus of the world. Detailed plans were made to facilitate
media coverage without affecting the overall security arrangements.
Police worked closely with the Information Services Department to keep
the media thoroughly briefed on the security arrangements.

With so many dignitaries and guests attending the various official
ceremonies besides the fireworks display over Victoria Harbour and the
other celebrations going on round Hong Kong, it was vital to ensure
proper traffic and crowd management. Special traffic diversions and
transport arrangements were implemented in conjunction with the
Transport Department and the Police liaised closely with organisers of
public events on safety and crowd management measures.

Police also liaised with organisers of demonstrations to ensure that they
were conducted in a peaceful and lawful manner. Designated
Demonstration Areas were established near the HKCEC for demonstrators
to express their views. More than 10 demonstrations took place during the
Handover Ceremony and, on the whole, the demonstrators were peaceful
and co-operative.

The two-week security operation for the WB/IMF Annual Meetings was
similar to the arrangements for the Handover Ceremony. The general
principles of cordon, search, access control, venue security, VIP
Protection, media arrangements and traffic management were followed.
About 1 550 Police officers were directly involved in the operation.
Among the 12 000 delegates there were 22 dignitaries under Police
protection. The extent of traffic diversions was reduced as the Annual
Meetings were held at the HKCEC only. Fewer media representatives
attended, although the number of press events was comparatively larger.

Five groups of demonstrators staged public meetings and public
processions near the venue during the meetings. Most of the
demonstrators were peaceful.

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