The IPCC is committed to ensuring that complaints against Police are handled in a transparent, impartial and thorough manner. With a view to enhancing the overall service quality of the Police, it also looks into Police practice or procedures and recommends improvement measures to prevent complaints. Since its incorporation into a statutory body in 2009, the IPCC has made over 140 recommendations to the Police. The past decade also saw a drop in the number of Reportable Complaints from around 4 000 in 2009 to about 1 500 in recent years. IPCC’s efforts have been recognised by the community at large, as according to the Public Opinion Survey 2018 conducted by HKUPOP, the net confidence towards the IPCC has increased by 17 percentage points within the short span of three years.
The IPCC, as a monitoring body, plays a pivotal role in safeguarding the integrity of the Police complaints system. It is therefore crucial for the IPCC to continue to keep abreast of changing circumstances and develop strategies to cope with the rising expectations of the public for an independent, impartial and accountable Police complaints system.
Hong Kong, like other developed cities in the World, has also experienced many changes and trials in the past decade. The challenges are not only in the economic, technological and cultural aspects, but also in its social and political environment. It has become a global trend that the public are increasingly vocal and active in expressing their views and pursuing their demands. The socio-political conflicts experienced by Hong Kong in recent years have, on many occasions, led to increasing tension between the public and the Police. With the widespread use of social media, differences in stance or viewpoints may escalate rapidly into mass protests or even riots requiring Police action to maintain public order. While it is necessary for the Police to strike the right balance between maintaining law and order and respecting the rights of citizens, trust from the public and the Police in the IPCC’s role and functions is crucial in upholding an efficient and effective two-tier complaints system. A wholesome and trusting tripartite relationship among the public, the Police and the IPCC is vital to a sustainable Police complaints system.
The 10th anniversary is an opportune time for the IPCC to review, evaluate, set new goals and move on. This Symposium, under the theme of “Building Confidence and Trust – Role of IPCC in the Evolving Future”, provides a platform for knowledge exchange and brings together stakeholders, scholars and overseas counterparts to share their views and insights on the challenges of Police oversight and enhancing public trust. In the Opening Dialogue, current and former Chairmen of the IPCC and the president of its counterpart in Macau will share with participants the achievements and lessons learned amidst changes in social and public expectation. The IPCC has also invited overseas counterparts to share the development of and challenges faced by their respective Police complaints systems in the First Plenary Session. The Second Plenary Session will focus on the operational aspect, in particular, the balance between Police powers and individual rights, and the role played by a monitoring body. With the benefit of the discussion in the first two sessions, the Third Plenary Session will focus on ways to enhance confidence and trust among the public, the IPCC and the Police under the current two-tier police complaints system.
Over the years, the IPCC has spared no effort in refining its complaints reviewing work, in raising public awareness of its monitoring role, in making recommendation to the Force with a view to preventing complaints and in engaging with the Police and the public to promote transparency, understanding and confidence on the IPCC’s work. This Symposium, participated by a wide spectrum of professionals, practitioners and scholars from Hong Kong and abroad, will certainly shed light on the future direction for the IPCC.
The Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) was established as a statutory body on 1 June 2009 under the Independent Police Complaints Council Ordinance (IPCCO) (Cap. 604, Laws of Hong Kong) to observe, monitor and review the Commissioner of Police’s handling and investigation of Reportable Complaints against the Police.
The IPCC comprises a Chairman, three Vice-Chairmen and currently 23 Members, all appointed by the Chief Executive and drawn from a broad spectrum of society. This composition enables the IPCC to draw upon the diverse professional expertise and experience of its Members to monitor the investigation of complaint cases by the Complaints Against Police Office (CAPO) in an independent, impartial and thorough manner.
The IPCC also administers an Observers Scheme to strengthen its monitoring of CAPO’s investigation process. Appointed by the Secretary for Security, IPCC Observers attend interviews and observe the collection of evidence in connection with CAPO's investigation of Reportable Complaints. The observations can be carried out on a pre-arranged or surprise basis. As of 1 April 2019, the Scheme comprises 110 Observers from different sectors.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the IPCC as an independent statutory body. Looking ahead, the IPCC will continue to uphold the core values of independence, impartiality and integrity in discharging its statutory functions to improve the service quality of the Police.
The Public Opinion Programme of The University of Hong Kong (HKUPOP) was established in June 1991 to collect and study public opinions on topics of interest to academics, journalists, policy-makers, and the general public.
Over 1 800 independent surveys and other types of research have so far been conducted by HKUPOP in strict accordance with service policies designed to safeguard its independence, and its share in the proprietary rights of the research output. Its many project collaborators include fellow academics, government departments, non-government organisations and professional bodies.
Since 2013, the IPCC has been commissioning the HKUPOP to conduct annual public opinion surveys to gauge public views and perception on the role of IPCC in the two-tier Police complaints system.
Detailed analysis of the information collected from the surveys has enabled the IPCC to devise targeted publicity strategies and assess the effectiveness of such initiatives to better fulfill its statutory role under section 8(1)(e) of the Independent Police Complaints Council Ordinance (IPCCO) “to promote public awareness of the role of the Council”.