Batgung

Question: What about safety? I've heard that Hong Kong has a low crime rate. Is it really that safe?

Mr Tall replies: Hong Kong really is very safe. I've seen Hong Kong described as one of the world's three safest cities, as having one of the lowest crime rates on earth, etc. It's hard to compare crime rates across cultures, but there's no doubt Hong Kong is far safer than European and North American cities. If you're interested, there's an short, informative paper on this topic here. According to the Hong Kong Government, the crime rate has actually been dropping steadily here for years. In particular, violent crime rates are very low. Muggings, for example, are rare.

From a purely personal point of view, Hong Kong just 'feels safe' to me. There's almost no sense of menace out on the streets. The biggest dangers seem to be from pickpockets, and (for women) getting groped on the MTR.

A reader asks: One thing that struck me as strange when I was in Hong Kong was the very high number of police and private security guards. Are the Hong Kong police a part of the Chinese police? How are foreigners treated compared to Chinese? Does "Gwai privilege" also extend to the police? On the Internet there are numerous horror stories about the Chinese police, but not anything about the Hong Kong police.

A reader replies: The Police are a branch of the HK government, separate from the "Gong An" of the PRC. The HK police are pretty good insofar as they are not particularly brutal or corrupt -- I would say that they compare favorably to the police in Chicago or Boston in the USA, but that may not be considered shining praise. As a European-American woman who can speak some basic Cantonese, I have found the police that I have encountered to be polite and efficient. But, the only time I have ever really interacted was once when I accompanied a friend to report a stolen pocketbook, and a couple of times in routine roadblocks (they entered the bus and asked to see everone's I.D.) and some bar raids (same thing . . .).

Mr Tall adds: It's true Hong Kong has a high number of police, and you do see lots of security guards. Most residential buildings have a 'watchman' stationed at the door, although many of them are more concerned with watching horse racing than they are in looking out for suspicious activities! Nevertheless, the chances that your flat will be burgled -- assuming you live in a guarded development, and not in a village house -- are very low indeed.

I think westerners are likely to be treated at least as well as local people by the police. Conversely, I've heard stories of other Asian people -- e.g. Filipinos and Indonesians -- being treated more harshly, but I emphasize this is pure anecdote. Overall, I think the police here do an excellent job.