​The Correctional Services Department (CSD) conducted a large-scale emergency exercise at Tai Lam Correctional Institution today (December 6). The exercise simulated a series of incidents including mass indiscipline of persons in custody, a hostage-taking situation, members of the public obstructing CSD officers in execution of their duty, and the revelation of bio-chemical hazardous materials.
The exercise, code-named Concord XXII, aimed to test the emergency response of various units in different scenarios, including command and communication capabilities, the effectiveness of contingency plans implemented at different tier levels of response associated with the development of emergency situations, the emergency response and information dissemination at departmental levels, as well as to test the CSD's co-ordination with other government departments.
More than 150 staff members from the CSD, including the Correctional Emergency Response Team and the Regional Response Team, the Fire Services Department and the Hong Kong Police Force took part in the exercise. The Acting Assistant Commissioner (Operations) of the CSD, Mr Chan Siu-hang, was in charge of the whole operation at the department's Central Control Centre in Stanley. He said that the exercise enhanced the response capabilities of the department and the effectiveness of its emergency support. It also improved interdepartmental communication and co-operation.
The CSD holds regular emergency exercises of different scales, including at institutional, regional and departmental levels, to enable staff members to get familiar with handling different incidents, so as to provide a safe and secure custodial environment for persons in custody and maintain Hong Kong as one of the safest cities in the world.
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