Police chief pledges cautious use of CCTV network

RTHK - Nov 15, 2026

Police Commissioner Joe Chow on Sunday said the force’s surveillance camera system would not be abused. This came as facial recognition technology will be rolled out across its CCTV network on Monday under the police SmartView initiative. “All of our investigation tools have the requirement of check and balance, so that they won’t be abused,” Chow told a TVB programme. “We understand that many people may be concerned about this, so it’s our routine practice. “The system will not be used casually – I believe this is not what the public expects.” Chow added that the system would mainly be used to deal with criminal cases and locate missing persons because of the urgency in solving these cases. He also said the CCTV system has helped solve robbery cases and could have prevented such crimes from happening. The police chief also noted that the Interpol general assembly, to be hosted by the SAR from November 30 to December 3, would allow participants to feel Hong Kong’s vitality. The city had been preparing for the event for nearly three years, he said, expressing confidence that it would be held successfully. Edited by Edmond Fong

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