Justices of the Peace appointments

     The Government published this year's appointments of Justices of the Peace (JPs) in the Government Gazette today (October 1). To accord top priority to the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic and related matters, the Government has announced in May this year that the appointment of JPs exercise would be postponed with a view to announcing the appointments on October 1 instead of July 1, 2020.
 
     A total of 66 persons have been appointed, including 40 JPs appointed under section 3(1)(b) of the Justices of the Peace Ordinance (Chapter 510) (commonly referred to as "Non-official JPs") and 26 JPs appointed under section 3(1)(a) of the same ordinance (commonly referred to as "Official JPs").
 
     The main function of JPs is to visit correctional institutions, detention centres and other institutions to ensure their effective management and that no individual is unfairly treated or deprived of his or her rights. JPs will ensure that complaints lodged by individuals are handled in a fair and transparent manner.
 
     The name list of JPs appointed under section 3(1)(b) and section 3(1)(a) of the Justices of the Peace Ordinance is provided in the Appendix.
 
     The announcement of JP appointments for next year (2021) will return to be made on July 1.