Hong Kong Police Force
The Force officially rolled out mobile application HKSOS in January 2024 to enhance public safety and speed up rescue services in life-critical missions.
HKSOS is the first-ever mobile application directly linked to the 999 Emergency Response Centre and with a in-built accident detection mechanism, is the lifeline of emergency. HKSOS generates a unique SOS signal that can be picked up by emergency units, even in extreme conditions without mobile network. When SOS is triggered via the application, the 999 Emergency Response Centre will be alerted and provided with the precise location information so that emergency teams can swiftly reach the person concerned for assistance.
HKSOS also caters for people with speech and hearing impairment for reporting emergency cases. On top of the existing 992 service (request for emergency assistance via SMS), users with special needs can register in HKSOS which will enable the 999 Emergency Response Centre to recognise their special needs.
HKSOS is a key component of the Force’s Smart Rescue Solutions which garnered three Gold Medals with the Congratulations of Jury in the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in Switzerland in April 2023, showcasing the achievements in digital policing. As one of the key performance indicators of the Chief Executive's Policy Address 2023, HKSOS will undoubtedly reinvent the ways in future rescue missions across the territory and save more lives.
Hong Kong Police Force online applications platform was launched on 27 November 2023. In the first phase, the platform provides online application services for Closed Area Permits, Road Event Permits, and Location Filming, allowing the public to conveniently submit permit applications, make online payments, and check the progress of applications through a one-stop online platform.
The objective of the online applications platform is to implement the initiative proposed in the Policy Address to fully digitalise all licences, services and forms involving application and approval by mid- 2024, and to kick-start a series of e-initiatives such as the Electronic Closed Area Permit, Electronic Closed Road Permit and other related measures to be introduced by the Force at the end of this year.
Through the new platform, members of the public can apply for various online services by logging in with just one account, saving time spent on queuing and filling out numerous handwritten forms. The platform supports multiple registrations and login methods, including email, local mobile phone number, iAM Smart, and iAM Smart+, making the process of registering or logging into an account safe, convenient, and fast. In addition, the platform also provides a comprehensive digital service experience. Based on the applicants’ registration particulars, the platform automatically fills out most parts of the form, sparing them from repeated data entry. After submitting an application online, applicants can check the latest progress at any time through the platform, and if necessary, supplementary documents can also be uploaded to the platform.
In the future, the platform will support different electronic services of the Force in phases, such as applying for a Sexual Conviction Record Check, Certificate of No Criminal Conviction, checking Criminal Conviction Record Data and applying for assistance in conducting academic research, etc., to provide the public with a more convenient service experience.
The Force launched a one-stop scam and pitfall search engine "Scameter" in October 2022. The aim is to assist the public in identifying fraud and online pitfalls, reducing their risk of falling victim to deception.
Citizens can use the "Scameter" for free on Cyber Defender website (https://cyberdefender.hk), which is designed explicitly by the Force to combat online fraud. When encountering suspicious calls, online sellers, friend requests, job advertisements or investment websites, etc, users can enter the relevant platform account name or number, payment account, phone number, email address and URLs, etc., into "Scameter" to instantly assess the risk of fraud and cyber security.
The data and rating of the "Scameter" come from various sources, including public reports to the police, information provided by organisations, suspicious phone number database, as well as realtime analysis from information security companies. The search results categorise data security levels into four colors: red represents "High Risk”, indicating the input information is related to a scam report recorded by the police, or poses a high cyber security risk; orange represents "Possible Risk", suggesting that social account usernames have been reported, phone numbers are associated with unofficial scam reports, or the cyber security risk is medium-high; yellow represents "Potential Risk", indicating reports of similar phone numbers in scams, or a medium cyber security risk situation that requires caution; purple means "No Record", but this does not guarantee complete safety. Users shall stay alert at all times. Since its launch, “Scameter” has recorded over 2.3 million search queries, issuing approximately 390,000 alert warnings, which has effectively assisted the public in promptly assessing the risk of fraud and cyber security.
To facilitate the public in using "Scameter" at any time, the Force launched the "Scameter+" Mobile App in February 2023. This mobile application not only evaluates scam risks but also allows users to access and share anti-scam information, as well as receiving the latest push notifications. The mobile application is available for free download at the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and Huawei AppGallery. It has accumulated over 220,000 downloads and gained widespread popularity among citizens in just one year since its launch.
The mobile application has been upgraded, featuring three enhanced functions in February 2024, namely “Call Alert”, “Website Detection” and “Public Intelligence”. The upgraded version enables the public in detecting and combating scams by automatically issuing warning pop-up alerts about scam websites and phone calls. It also includes a public intelligence sharing function, encouraging users to contribute information and fostering a collaborative approach to fighting scams. The Force will optimise the mobile application from time to time to assist the public in identifying frauds and online pitfalls.
Lost property reports and the e-Report Centre are two of the most used policing services patronised by the public. According to statistics, nearly half of all cases handled by report rooms are related to lost property; the usage of the e-report centre has also been continuously increasing in recent years, from over 130,000 cases in 2019 to approximately 210,000 cases in 2022.
To provide an additional convenient way for the public and tourists to handle or report non-emergency cases through an electronic platform, the Force has introduced Self-service Kiosks in different police station report rooms or reporting centres in phases since September 2021. The Force aims to divert some informants through the kiosks, reducing overall waiting times in report rooms, while allowing report room staff to focus more on other requests for assistance with a view to improving service quality. The kiosks are also one of the key performance indicators under the "Building a Smart Government" initiative mentioned in the Chief Executive's 2022 Policy Address, achieving the goal of 12 kiosks to be put into service by January 2023.
In addition to expanding coverage of services, new functions have also been added to the selfservice kiosks. The Force and MTR Corporation have collaborated to develop an entirely new "One-Stop Loss Reporting Service", allowing the public to authorise the police to upload lost property reports to MTR's "Online Lost Property Platform" without the need to submit another registration with MTR, saving duplicated procedures and increasing the chances of recovering lost properties.
Given the positive feedback and effectiveness, the Force expanded the kiosk coverage to the public places, including Admiralty MTR Station and the Passenger Clearance Building at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port so as to enable more citizens and tourists to use the service.
