Hong Kong police to merge Tin Sum division with Sha Tin and Ma On Shan

Hong Kong Police will merge the Tin Sum division into the Sha Tin and Ma On Shan ones from August 30 to improve operational efficiency amid population changes and infrastructure development.A briefing was held at Ma On Shan police station on Thursday morning for members of the Sha Tin district Council, the Fight Crime Committee and area committees, as well as representatives of government departments and community partners.“The Police Force regularly reviews resource deployment based on local policing demands and demographic changes. Over the past two decades, the force has restructured its resources through division mergers on multiple occasions to support community development,” a spokesman said.The Shek Kip Mei, Tsz Wan Shan and Waterfront divisions, for example, were merged into nearby divisions in 2004, 2006 and 2010, respectively. The Tseung Kwan O division was also upgraded to a full police district in 2017 to meet growing demand.“Given the significant population growth and infrastructure development in Sha Tin over the past two decades, the Police Force determined, following a careful evaluation, that police resources needed to be reallocated across the district to maintain high-quality services,” the spokesman said.“Consequently, the jurisdiction currently covered by the Tin Sum division will be absorbed by the Sha Tin and Ma On Shan divisions. The police have fully considered emergency response times, geographical terrain, major landmarks, traffic black spots and major annual events to ensure frontline officers can respond swiftly to incidents.”