Following the century’s worst fire at Hong Kong’s Wang Fu Estate, concerns over security issues at the disaster site have drawn significant social attention. Police Commissioner Zhou Min recently responded to reports of theft at Wang Fu Estate, stating that they have received 81 cases of residents calling for help and expressing worries over security measures.
The authorities mentioned that before workers involved in the building reinforcement project enter the disaster site, they must store personal belongings in lockers and are not allowed to carry more than 500 Hong Kong dollars in cash. While workers are inside the affected units, police officers will be on-site monitoring and recording the condition of belongings. Upon completion of the project, workers will undergo metal detector checks and searches.
However, these remedial measures by the police have failed to quell the residents’ discontent and unease. Online media outlet The Collective HK obtained a video taken by residents on the night of the theft incident, showing another building at Wang Fu Estate still lit up at night, raising residents’ suspicions. It was reported that some residents discovered electronic devices previously located in their units had their GPS signals moved from Wang Fu Estate to Tai Po Market. Subsequently, they reported this to the police, who then found workers involved in theft at another building in Wang Fu Estate.
The incident sparked heated discussions and anger within various groups of residents affected by the disaster. Many residents expressed concerns that the government, in order to conduct structural reinforcement work, had broken open the doors of units not severely affected by the fire, thereby increasing the risk of theft.
Some residents noted that there is a lack of security personnel guarding Wang Fu Estate at night, equating it to being “unprotected.” They described the scene as a potential target for thieves and expressed worries that more than one theft incident may have occurred. The uncertainty of whether their belongings have been stolen and the suspicion that this incident is just the tip of the iceberg have left residents anxious.
After the theft incident, some residents sent an open letter to the Chief Executive of Hong Kong and several high-ranking government officials responsible for managing the aftermath of the Wang Fu Estate fire. The letter highlighted the residents’ urgent need to return to their units to retrieve personal items. They emphasized that these items were accumulated over many years of hard work and expressed concerns not only about theft but also about the humid climate and the possibility of damage due to pests. If they are unable to return home promptly to retrieve their belongings, cherished memories could be destroyed.
The open letter called on the government to expedite the process for residents to return to their units and retrieve their possessions, with over 300 signatures currently obtained.
Before the theft incident came to light, the Hong Kong government estimated that it would not be until the end of April before residents could be arranged to return in batches to retrieve their valuable and sentimental items.
On another front, the new security measures implemented by the police officially took effect on March 9. Some workers on-site expressed dissatisfaction with the measures, viewing the body searches on all workers following a single theft incident as “excessive.”
TVB News reported on the controversy surrounding the incident, with the journalist Chen Jue Ming pointing out that the 81 cases reported to the police following the theft reveal the strong anxiety and unease among the affected residents towards the security arrangements. The residents’ skepticism towards the police’s management work, he noted, is understandable.
Veteran media personality Li Jin Hong emphasized the severity of the situation. He mentioned that residents had already lost their homes in the fire, and if their possessions were now stolen from their units, it would further aggravate their wounds.
He indicated that the police should have arranged for residents to return to their units under police escort to systematically inventory and document their personal items early on instead of resorting to remedial measures after the incident. This reflects the flaws in the government’s post-fire deployment at Wang Fu Estate and their failure to provide a clear explanation to the affected residents and society in a timely manner, which easily raises doubts about the government’s governance capabilities.
He also believed that the current comprehensive body search measures by the police equate to treating all workers as potential thieves, which is unfair to those participating in the reinforcement project and may make some feel insulted.