Yau Ma Tei baton use 'within guidelines': police

Yau Ma Tei baton use 'within guidelines': police

A top police official said on Friday that he was told by his colleagues that the actions of a riot officer – who allegedly smacked a subdued protester's leg seven times with his baton during clashes in Yau Ma Tei last Monday – was within the department's guidelines.



Senior superintendent Kong Wing-cheung told a press conference that the Complaints Against Police Office (Capo) has launched an investigation after receiving a complaint on the matter. The officer is now on sick leave, he added.



Running street battles erupted along Nathan Road on that night as anti-government protesters hoped to find a way into Polytechnic University to rescue those inside.



Footage from the scene seemed to show the officer repeatedly hitting a protester held down on the ground until two other officers intervened to stop the beating.



Asked if the action was legitimate and if so, why other officers intervened, Kong replied: "Whether it is right or not to justify the use of force, according to what my colleagues told me it is in accordance with our guidelines."



"But of course with a complaint that has been launched with the Complaints Against Police Office, we have to wait until the result of the investigation," said Kong.



He also explained that the "public's understanding of being completely subdued can be different from ours”.