Police Oversight: International Debates & Exploration of An Appropriate Mechanism for Hong Kong

This study conducts an in-depth review to police oversight mechanisms of the selected common law jurisdictions and fellow Asian cities, aiming at exploring the key practices and their merits/ limitations in achieving the two most important purposes of police oversight- ensuring internal hierarchical accountability and enhancing external public accountability of the police force. Three major areas of controversies addressed in literature will be particularly investigated- representation, empowerment and professionalism of the oversight mechanism. On the top of overseas experience, the study would also include a comprehensive assessment on the opinion orientation of different stakeholders who have pleasant, unpleasant and also no experience from the current police oversight mechanism. The study expects to provide both qualitative and numerical findings that should be valuable references for introducing possible reforms on the current amateur-led, review board oversight model that was inherited from the colonial period.

Funding Source: HKSAR Govt - Public Policy Research Funding Scheme (PPR) (Special Round)