Coronavirus outbreak: 15 Hong Kong students arrested as police target uptick in youth crime

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South China Morning Post
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Police believe some teens had joined gangs after the risk of spreading Cov-19 led to class suspensions

South China Morning Post |
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Fifteen students were among the 60 people arrested across the eight days of Operation Stepshadow.

Fifteen Hong Kong students were among 60 people arrested in an eight-day operation, dubbed “Stepshadow”. The operation targeted an uptick in youth crime that some police believe has accompanied the suspension of school classes amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Officers think most of the students, aged from 12 to 18, can be linked to three violent bullying cases in Tuen Mun earlier this year that saw one boy and two girls beaten up by street youth gangs.

The attacks took place at different northern Hong Kong public housing estates in January and February, according to a senior police official.

Tuen Mun district officers pose with some of the weapons seized during the eight days of Operation Stepshadow.
Photo: Sam Tsang/SCMP

In one of the incidents, a 15-year-old girl was slapped and kicked about 50 times by two teenage girls on the roof of a multistorey car park at On Ting Estate in January. The beating was captured in a disturbing four-minute online video that went viral.

A police source said he believed some students had joined gangs as there was no schooling during the coronavirus outbreak. Each gang consisted of 10 to 20 people, he said, most of whom were unemployed.

“Members of these youth gangs are residents in the area and they know each other. They usually gather in a public housing estate at night and are mainly involved in bullying activities,” he said.

Read all about this Hong Kong student who turned her life around after spending four years in prison as a teenager 

He said some of the individuals had triad backgrounds, but there was no indication to show there was a triad gang behind them.

In addition to the students, officers arrested some other members of local youth gangs over the three assaults.

“Our operation will make the street gangs lie low for a while,” the source said. “We will keep a close watch on them and take enforcement action again if necessary.”

What you need to know if you are arrested

Police said the 15 schoolboys and girls had been released on bail, pending further investigation.

One source said he believed the triad lured teenagers into narcotics-related activities by offering them free drugs.

The suspects – 32 men and 28 women ranging from 12 to 49 years of age – were arrested for various offences such as drug trafficking, wounding, assault, robbery and criminal intimidation.

Photos provided by Hong Kong police show moments from a recent eight-day sweep targeting youth crime in city’s northern areas.
Photo: Handout

Police figures show the number of juveniles aged 10 to 15 arrested for crimes rose 22.8 per cent to 1,140 in 2019, up from 928 the year before.

Arrests for criminal offences among those ages 16 to 20 jumped even more dramatically over the same period, with 3,128 in that age group arrested in 2019, up 69.9 per cent, from 1,841 in 2018.

Police, however, said most of the crimes committed by youths were offences against public order such as unlawful assemblies and riots.

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