The Hong Kong police said on Monday that they will send a safety team into the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) to negotiate with and offer medical assistance to the rioters remaining on the campus, with a goal of peacefully solving the week-long standoff.
Chief Superintendent Ho Yun-sing, District Commander of Hong Kong Police Force's Yau Tsim District, said at a media briefing on Monday afternoon that the police understand the public concern about the alarming situation in the PolyU, especially the health and well-being of people who are still staying on the campus.
In the interests of their safety, the police will send into the PolyU a safety team consisting of officers of Police Negotiation Cadre and other departments like the fire services and ambulance services.
The team also includes social workers, scholars, secondary school heads and clinical psychologists.
Emphasizing that the police have always adopted a peaceful and flexible approach in order to solve the situation in the PolyU, Ho said the team will enter the campus for negotiation and offering assistance for those in need.
The police's principle is to render medical assistance first and will not arrest those persons on the spot, Ho said, adding that the police will only record their personal data and take photos of them before they are provided with medical assistance, and will pursue their cases later.
"We wish for a peaceful solution to the situation. It is certainly our goal to restore order and safety as soon as possible," he said.
The PolyU campus has been occupied by rioters for more than one week. So far around 1,100 people have left the campus in a peaceful and orderly manner, including 300 underage people, according to Ho.
"The police will continue to maintain close communication with the school management and hope their staff will join our safety team soon," he said.
"Once again, we appeal to those who still remain on the campus to leave in a peaceful and orderly manner," he added.
