Top cop slammed over celebrity dinner despite curbs

Top cop slammed over celebrity dinner despite curbs

Police Commissioner Chris Tang has come under fire from opposition lawmakers over a dinner he and senior officers had with celebrities on Sunday.



They accused Tang of being unfit to lead the force, and criticised him for apparently ignoring government appeals for people to limit social interactions amid the coronavirus outbreak.



In videos leaked on social media, Tang, who wasn’t wearing a face mask, dined and sang with prominent entertainers such as acclaimed Kung Fu movie star Jackie Chan, actor Eric Tsang and veteran singer Alan Tam after a friendly football match. The celebrities are known for their pro-police stance.



Police PR chiefs Kwok Ka-chuen, Kong Wing-cheung and former spokesman John Tse were also at the banquet. Also in attendance was disgraced former police official Frankly Chu who was jailed for a baton attack on an unarmed man during the 2014 Occupy protests.



Democratic Party legislator James To criticised the top brass for defying a government appeal to reduce social contacts amid the Covid-19 outbreak, saying Tang is a bad role model when it comes to preventing the virus from spreading in the community.



He noted that a group of people had recently contracted the deadly disease after a hot pot gathering, and if so many senior officers were to be infected, they could in turn pass on the virus to top government officials during one of their frequent meetings, and paralyse the operations of the entire government.



In the leaked video, Tang was also heard saying he learnt from Jackie Chan’s movies how to behave like a policeman.



Civic Party lawmaker Dennis Kwok, who represents the legal sector, said Tang’s "shoe-shining" remarks are inappropriate and he’s not fit to be the police chief. He questioned if lawyers need to watch a TVB legal drama "File to Justice" before becoming one.



His colleague, pilot-turned-legislator Jeremy Tam, also chimed in, questioning if pilots need to watch another TVB series about pilots and flight attendants, "Triumph in the Skies", to help with their training.