The spate of savage crimes in Hong Kong has triggered fear and anxiety among the public. Experts have called for greater efforts and resources to tackle mental health, as well as social and economic issues. Gaby Lin reports from Hong Kong.
A 29-year-old woman is arrested by the Hong Kong Police Force on June 5 on suspicion of smothering her three young daughters to death in a subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)
It was a scorching summer afternoon in early June when a lone assailant, with a history of mental trouble, walked up to two strangers in one of Hong Kong’s busiest shopping malls, and brutally stabbed the women to death in an attack that shook the city to its core.
Three days later, a 29-year-old mother, who was on the dole, allegedly smothered her three young daughters in a tiny flat in Kowloon’s Sham Shui Po district as the city was still reeling from the horrific stabbing at Plaza Hollywood in Diamond Hill.
Both incidents were followed by a series of wounding and physical assault cases that brought to the surface the critical issues of mental health, as well as the social and economic pressures Hong Kong residents face, aggravated by a severe shortage of personnel throughout the community.
According to the Hong Kong Police Force, the special administrative region saw a 41 percent surge in the overall crime rate in the first five months of this year, compared with the same period in 2022. Cases of deception, theft, wounding and serious assault recorded varying levels of increases.
The police blamed a dramatic rise in deception cases — a 58 percent year-on-year increase from January to May — for the higher-than-expected crime rate. The figures for “traditional crimes” were low in 2022, with social activities significantly curtailed amid the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. But, as life returns to normal this year, police say traditional crimes have seen a “technical rebound”.
However, knife crimes had dropped in the first five months of this year, compared with the same period in 2022 and 2019. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung told lawmakers that cases of wounding involving knives “haven’t deteriorated”.
The recent uptick in serious crimes, nevertheless, has sent shivers down the spine of residents with regard to public order and possible links between mental illness and criminal behavior. The suspect in the Plaza Hollywood attack on June 2 has a history of mental disorder.
Police stand guard outside a building where the tragedy has happened. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)
The Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists has tried to soothe nerves, saying that people with severe mental problems and a tendency for violence are “in the minority” and calling for a better understanding of mental diseases among the public.
“It’s important to recognize that mental illness is not a direct cause of criminal behavior,” Bell Chung Cheuk-fai, a criminologist and former policeman, told China Daily.
He said he believes the latest surge in violent crimes could be due to a combination of social, economic and political factors, including frustration and anxiety stemming from the 2019 social unrest and the pandemic.
A citywide survey conducted by researchers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University between December 2020 and February 2021 — during the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections and about one year after its onset — found that up to 12.4 percent of more than 3,000 respondents had symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Psychologist Victor Ching Wai-keung said people suffering from PTSD may experience hyperarousal, or emotions like anger, fear and numbness. These symptoms may cause them to overreact to certain situations, or even lead to aggressive or impulsive conduct. But he emphasized that PTSD does not necessarily “make people more inclined to violence”.
However, Ching warned that improper narratives and frequent media coverage of violent incidents may create stigmatization and discrimination against some people, such as those who are mentally ill. They may also exaggerate the situation, heightening fear and anxiety among the public.
In response to a stabbing incident at Plaza Hollywood in Diamond Hill on June 2, officials from various government bureaus and departments, as well as representatives from different sectors join an emergency meeting held on June 9 by the Advisory Committee on Mental Health, an advisory body to the HKSAR government, to make recommendations to the government on improving support for those with mental health needs. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Caregiver stress
Discussions about violence and vulnerable groups have also drawn attention to familicide, especially after the Sham Shui Po child killings on June 5.
Familicide is murder or murder-suicide, in which a person kills a member or members of his or her family in rapid succession. The reasons behind such incidents are varied and complicated, said Elsie Yan Chau-wai, associate head and professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences at PolyU.
One factor that may lead to these tragedies is caregiver stress. Media reports said there have been at least a dozen familicide cases in Hong Kong in the past three years involving caregivers who allegedly resorted to killing their family members who were sick or handicapped, because of long-term stress.
Yan emphasized the importance of early intervention. “We need to prepare caregivers for the job, educate them about disease prognosis, keep them informed of the community resources available and, most importantly, help them take good care of themselves.”
Besides caregiver stress, she said other problems that might lead to familicides, such as depression and personality disorders, substance misuse, financial strain and lack of social support networks, should also warrant attention.
Although the SAR government and many nongovernmental organizations have been providing support and services to care recipients, such as day care, meal delivery and community nursing, “some of these services need to be booked in advance and may not be able to address urgent needs,” said Yan.
Hong Kong’s most recent population census in 2021 showed that more than 330,000 adults older than 60 years of age require long-term care. However, under the government’s current community care projects for the elderly — Day Care Services, Integrated Home Care Services, Enhanced Home and Community Care Services, and Home Care and Support Services for Elderly Persons with Mild Impairment — the quota is less than 40,000. The average waiting time for those who are in frail health under IHCS and EHCCS was about six months as of March.
Although the recent spate of violent attacks appears to be isolated, they have lifted the lid off deep-rooted social and economic issues in Hong Kong. Chung pointed to the lack of social support for vulnerable communities and the longstanding problem of inadequate mental health rehabilitative care.
He said individuals with mental health problems are more vulnerable to social and environmental factors that “can increase their risk of engaging in criminal acts”.
“It’s crucial to provide psychiatric patients with adequate support and treatment to address their underlying mental health issues, and prevent them from engaging in criminal behavior,” said Chung.
Currently, Hong Kong has only about 1,000 psychiatrists or clinical psychologists to meet the demand for mental health services.
The Hospital Authority, which manages more than 160 public hospitals and institutions, as well as specialist and general outpatient clinics, in the SAR, is facing an acute shortage of case managers who attend to patients with severe mental disorders during their recovery. According to the HA, there were only 430 case managers serving about 18,100 patients as of March, implying that each manager had to handle an average of 41 patients.
The lack of talent is also reflected in the dearth of social workers serving other vulnerable groups. Families in need might not receive adequate or timely assistance.
The Hong Kong Social Workers’ General Union conducted a survey of more than 550 serving and former social workers from January to March last year. It found that 28 percent of the respondents had left their jobs in 2021, and about 45 percent had considered quitting. Six nongovernmental organizations said they had lost up to one-fifth of their workforce in 2021.
As of Aug 9, Hong Kong had 27,837 registered social workers, accounting for about 0.38 percent of its population of 7.33 million.
Multipronged measures
The government is expected to fully activate district services and community care teams in all the city’s 18 districts before the third quarter of this year ends, leveraging community resources and working with various subvented organizations to offer support to those in need, such as the elderly, people with disabilities and their carers.
Chief Secretary for Administration Chan Kwok-ki said the care teams will visit various communities to ensure that members of the public understand and use these services.
The authorities have unveiled 10 new measures to provide more comprehensive care for those requiring mental health care. Undersecretary for Health Libby Lee Ha-yun said the HA will optimize the ratio of case managers to patients with severe mental illness to no more than 1:40. A mental health support hotline will be set up this year.
The Social Welfare Department will improve the services of integrated community centers for mental wellness, and strengthen early identification and intervention in mental health cases. It will also look into ways of strengthening training of social workers in community mental health services.
Besides dealing with community issues, the personnel shortfall in law enforcement should not be underestimated, as it “has had a substantial impact on criminal activities,” according to Chan Wai-keung, a political columnist and lecturer at PolyU’s College of Professional and Continuing Education.
“The police have been struggling with manpower shortages, and the number of people willing to join law enforcement seems to be less than in the past,” he noted.
Participants in the Police Recruitment Experience and Assessment Day are briefed by members of the Hong Kong Police Force on the selection process, training programs and police duties. Held at the Hong Kong Police College in Wong Chuk Hang on June 18, the event aims to give the public a comprehensive understanding of the force and attract more people to join. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Official data show that the wastage rate of the police force’s total strength dropped from 3.37 percent in 2020-21 to 2.89 percent in 2021-22. Resignations, retirement, expiry of contracts and other reasons led to 1,781 officers leaving the force between 2020 and 2022. At the same time, 1,408 new inspectors and constables have been recruited, but the number is still short of the force’s recruitment goals for the past two years.
Chan warned that the shortage could undermine the police’s ability to detect crime, and reduces the number of officers available to go on patrol, thereby weakening crime deterrence. “This may make some people think the police aren’t competent enough in bringing criminals to justice, fueling their intention to commit crime.”
The police force, however, said it has implemented “proactive recruitment strategies” to attract “high-caliber candidates”.
“We will keep abreast of the times and regularly review our recruitment policy to maintain competitiveness in the human resources market,” the force said, adding that it will continue to encourage people to join the force through various platforms and activities.
The force has eased certain recruitment criteria, including scrapping the minimum height and weight requirements, in an effort to attract more recruits.
Chan suggested placing more surveillance cameras at key locations across the city to deter and detect crime, offsetting the personnel shortage.
“The police have the responsibility to consider ways of reducing the crime rate, such as increasing the number of street patrols, responding to crime reports quickly, and installing more CCTVs. Improving police work is the most effective way to solve the problem,” he said.
Contact the writer at gabylin@chinadailyhk.com
