In preparation for the 94th INTERPOL General Assembly, scheduled for late November in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), in collaboration with other government departments and relevant organisations, conducted a comprehensive inter-departmental exercise covering the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Victoria Harbour and the West Kowloon area.
The exercise held last night covered a wide range of measures and arrangements such as simulating crowd-flow management for approximately 1,000 delegates, their movement between event venues, command and coordination of land and sea transport, a wireless network stress test and contingency plans for unexpected situations.
The exercise also simulated a scenario where terrorists rammed a vehicle into the venue and opened fire during the General Assembly, resulting in mass casualties. Concurrently, a neighbouring educational institution was evacuated due to a separate incident. Participating departments and organisations swiftly activated their emergency response mechanisms.
The exercise thoroughly tested the coordination capabilities of relevant stakeholders across various key operational areas including immediate tactical intervention, emergency response, triage and casualty care, handling of suspicious objects and management of affected persons.
The operation mobilised over 2,600 personnel from multiple government departments and entities, including the HKPF, the Fire Services Department, the Hospital Authority, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited and the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.
Commissioner of Police Chow Yat-ming observed the exercise on site and commended all participating units for their professional performance and coordination.