【立法會議題】特務警察、臨時警務人員及基要服務團 (Special constable, temporary police officer and Essential Services Corp 2019) ...... ?

​以下是今日（十一月十三日）在立法會會議上譚文豪議員的提問和保安局局長李家超的書面答覆：

問題：
 
　　根據《公安條例》（第245章）第40條，行政長官可授權警務處處長（處長）委任任何人為特務警察；根據《警隊條例》（第232章）第24條，處長可僱用任何人臨時出任警務人員；根據《基要服務團（一般）規例》（第197A章）第18條，行政長官可動員基要服務團的團員作現役服務。該三類人員在執行警務工作時享有與警務人員相同的權力、保障及豁免權，並須遵從處長的所有命令。該等法例沒有規定有關的委任、僱用或動員的程序須公開進行。就此，政府可否告知本會，由一九九七年七月一日至今：
 
（一）處長有否委任或僱用任何人為特務警察或臨時警務人員，以及行政長官有否動員任何基要服務團團員作現役服務；如有，（i）該等人士在被委任、僱用或動員的時候或之前，是否內地公安機關、國家安全部、人民武裝警察部隊、中國人民解放軍或其他內地執法機關的成員，及（ii）處長或行政長官作出委任、僱用及動員的理由、該等人員當中現時仍在任的人數，以及他們的職責及任期的開始及結束日期分別為何；
 
（二）特務警察、臨時警務人員、以及基要服務團的團員在執行警務工作時，是否受《警隊條例》和《警察通例》約束；及
 
（三）處長有否透過其他方法委任、僱用或招募任何內地執法機關的成員來港協助警方執法？
 
答覆：
 
主席：
 
　　就譚文豪議員的問題，我綜合回覆如下：
 
　　根據《公安條例》（第245章）第40條，行政長官可藉命令授權警務處處長，以書面方式委任特務警察，任期由行政長官在有關命令中指明。根據《公安條例》獲委任為特務警察的人，在以該身分行事時所具備的職責、權力、保障及豁免權，均與香港法律所委予或授予警務人員的職責、權力、保障及豁免權相同。
 
　　警務處處長亦可根據《警隊條例》（第232章）第24條僱用臨時警務人員。臨時警務人員的服務條件須與相等職級的輔警人員相同，而在其如此服務期間，臨時警務人員具有及可行使該職級的權力及特權，並受該職級的紀律條文所規限。
 
　　根據《基要服務團條例》（第197章）第4條，行政長官可招募和維持一個名為基要服務團的團體，以協助維持或執行條例內訂明的24項基要服務，包括政府行政；監獄的行政、管理及控制；消防服務的維持等。
 
　　在過去五個多月，特區政府並沒有引用上述的條例，委任特務警察、僱用臨時警務人員或招募基要服務團，以協助警方處理有關公眾活動。同時，特區政府並沒有要求駐港解放軍協助處理近月的衝突，也沒有委任、僱用、動員或招募任何內地執法機關成員作為特務警察、臨時警務人員或基要服務團的成員。
 
　　自今年六月初至今，香港發生了共超過700場示威、遊行和公眾集會，當中不少演變成暴力違法行為。在過去五個多月，有暴徒違法堵塞道路、癱瘓交通、在多處投擲汽油彈和縱火、擲磚、肆意圍毆意見不同的人士、蓄意傷害警務人員、任意破壞及焚燒商鋪、港鐵和輕鐵設施及交通燈等，嚴重威脅人身安全、公共秩序和公共安全。警方有法定責任採取行動，按需要作出人手調配，維護法紀及公共安寧、止暴制亂。
 
　　目前，全力止暴制亂是特區政府最重要的工作。連月來特區政府的不同政策局及部門均積極地在其各自職權範圍內參與及配合警方止暴制亂的工作。
 
　　由於過去多月的動亂持續，規模龐大及在多區同時發生，加上暴力程度嚴重，警方前線人員人手需要加大支援。現時特區政府正積極考慮各種措施，以增加警力及支援。當中的短期措施包括利用公務員的「退休後服務合約計劃」，增加人手，吸引已退休警務人員繼續為警隊服務。此外，特區政府正研究更多可行措施，以增加警方的人手和力量，例如積極考慮《公安條例》第40條委任機制的細節，安排其他紀律部隊的合適人員分擔或參與部分警務工作。 
 
完
2019年11月13日（星期三）
香港時間16時15分

​Following is a question by the Hon Jeremy Tam and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, in the Legislative Council today (November 13):
 
Question:
 
Under section 40 of the Public Order Ordinance (Cap 245), the Chief Executive (CE) may authorise the Commissioner of Police (‍CP) to appoint any person to act as a special constable; under section 24 of the Police Force Ordinance (Cap 232), CP may employ any person to serve temporarily as a police officer; under section 18 of the Essential Services Corps (General) Regulations (Cap 197A), CE may call out members of the Essential Services Corps (Corps members) for active service. These three types of officers, when discharging police duties, enjoy the same powers, protection and immunities as police officers do, and must comply with all orders given by CP. It is not required under the aforesaid legislation that the relevant appointment, employment or call-out procedure must be conducted openly. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council, since July 1, 1997:
 
(1) whether CP has appointed or employed any person as a special constable or temporary police officer, and whether CE has called out any Corps member for active service; if so, (i) whether such persons, when or prior to being appointed, employed or called out, were members of the Mainland public security authorities, the Ministry of State Security, the People’s Armed Police Force, the Chinese People's Liberation Army or other Mainland law enforcement authorities, and (ii) of the reasons for CP or CE to make such appointments, employment and call-out, and among such officers, the number of those who are still in service at present, as well as their responsibilities and duties, and the respective commencement and end dates of their tenure;
 
(2) whether special constables, temporary police officers and Corps members, when discharging police duties, are bound by the Police Force Ordinance and the Police General Orders; and
 
(3) whether CP has, through other means, appointed, employed or recruited any member of the Mainland law enforcement authorities to assist the Police in taking law enforcement actions in Hong Kong?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
My consolidated reply to Hon Jeremy Tam's questions is as follows:
 
Under section 40 of the Public Order Ordinance (POO) (Cap 245), the Chief Executive may by order authorise the Commissioner of Police to appoint in writing special constables for such period as may be specified in such order by the Chief Executive. A person appointed under POO as a special constable shall, when acting as such, have the same duties, powers, protection and immunities as are imposed or conferred by the laws of Hong Kong on a police officer. 
 
Besides, the Commissioner of Police may employ temporary police officers under section 24 of the Police Force Ordinance (Cap 232). A temporary police officer shall serve under the same conditions of service as an auxiliary officer of equivalent rank, and shall have and may exercise the powers and privileges of such rank and be liable to the provisions of discipline for such rank while so serving.
 
Under section 4 of the Essential Services Corps Ordinance (Cap 197), the Chief Executive may raise and maintain a body of persons to be known as the Essential Services Corps to assist in the maintenance or the performance of 24 essential services as specified in that ordinance. Such services include the administration of government, the administration, management and control of prisons, the maintenance of the firefighting services, etc.
 
The Government of the Special Administrative Region (SAR) did not invoke the aforesaid ordinances to appoint any special constables, employ any temporary police officers or raise any Essential Services Corps for assisting the Police in handling public order events in the past five months or so. At the same time, the SAR Government has not sought assistance from the People's Liberation Army to handle the conflicts in recent months. Neither has the Government appointed, employed, mobilised or recruited any members of the Mainland law enforcement agencies to serve as special constables, temporary police officers or members of Essential Services Corps.
 
Since early June this year, there have been over 700 protests, processions and public assemblies in Hong Kong, many of which evolved into violent illegal acts. In the past five months or so, violent protesters engaged in illegal blocking of roads, paralysing the traffic, hurling petrol bombs and setting fires at various locations, throwing bricks, assaulting others with different views wantonly, deliberately assaulting police officers, storming and burning shops, MTR and Light Rail facilities and traffic lights etc., posing a serious threat to personal safety, public order and public safety. Police have the statutory duty to take actions, and will deploy manpower as necessary to maintain law and order and public peace, as well as to stop violence and curb disorder.
 
At present, stopping violence and curbing disorder in full force is the most important task of the SAR Government. Over the past few months, different bureaux and departments of the SAR Government have been proactively participating in and complementing the Police's work in stopping violence and curbing disorder under their respective purview.
 
The ongoing riots over the past few months, with their massive scale, simultaneous occurrence in various districts and grave severity of violence, make it necessary to strengthen the support for Police's frontline officers. Currently, the SAR Government is actively considering different initiatives to enhance the manpower of and support for the Police. The short-term initiatives include increasing manpower and attracting retired police officers to continue serving in the Police Force through the Post-retirement Service Contract Scheme of the civil service. Furthermore, the SAR Government is considering other possible measures to strengthen Police's manpower and strength, for example, actively considering the details of the appointment mechanism under section 40 of POO to arrange appropriate officers of other law enforcement agencies to share part of and participate in Police's work. 
 
Ends/Wednesday, November 13, 2019 
Issued at HKT 16:16

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201911/13/P2019111300570.htm