Hong Kong: Lam voices support for HK police while not condoning 'irregularities' of violence

W/S Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam approaching lectern, Hong Kong
W/S Journalist asking question
SOT, Carrie Lam, Hong Kong Chief Executive: "As I have said earlier in response to a question, when we are so proud of the rule of law in Hong Kong, it does include the various important components, and enforcement by the enforcement agencies, particularly the police, is one of the very important elements to ensuring the rule of law in Hong Kong. Now, over more than three months of confrontations, street protests and sometimes very blatant violence, I said previously that the force is under extreme pressure. So my support for the force is because it is an important law enforcement agency, which helps us to safeguard the rule of law. But that doesn’t mean that I would condone irregularities or wrong practices done by the police force. Otherwise there would not have to be all these institutions like the *INAUDIBLE* and IPCC to look into complaints about individual officers. And on this occasion, because of the severity of the protests and the incidents, the IPCC has taken the initiative with my full support to undertake a thematic fact-finding study to assess several important incidents and to come up with recommendations. But it would be very difficult for me as the chief executive to offer my own opinion on individual video footage or shots to determine what is right and what is wrong, and what is true, and what is fake, because there has been, so far, always different versions to the same incident. So my advice and my appeal would be for those affected individuals to come forward to provide a side of the story and to be undertaken in a fair and impartial manner."
M/S Media *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Carrie Lam, Hong Kong Chief Executive: "We have to put our trust in these important institutions which have kept Hong Kong going for so many years. I know the level of mutual trust is now relatively low in Hong Kong, but we have to make sure that we can continue to operate as a civil society, and so these institutions will continue to play a very important part in that particular respect."
W/S Hong Kong government headquarters
SCRIPT
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam voiced her support for Hong Kong Police while speaking to the press and answering questions on police violence in Hong Kong on Tuesday.
Lam began by saying that Hong Kong is "proud" of their support for the rule of law, and that "enforcement by the enforcement agencies, particularly the police, is one of the very important elements to ensuring the rule of law in Hong Kong."
"But that doesn’t mean that I would condone irregularities or wrong practices done by the police force," Lam added.
Lam also mentioned that the police have been "under extreme pressure" after "more than three months of confrontations, street protests and sometimes very blatant violence."
Lam then called on the public to continue to support the police despite the apparent lack of trust.
"I know the level of mutual trust is now relatively low in Hong Kong, but we have to make sure that we can continue to operate as a civil society, and so these institutions will continue to play a very important part in that particular respect," she said.
Lam also said that the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) of Hong Kong would be undertaking "a thematic fact-finding study to assess several important incidents and to come up with recommendations" with her full support.
Protests have been taking place in Hong Kong since the end of March when the Hong Kong legislature proposed a bill, which would allow the extradition of the city's residents to mainland China. Demonstrators are rallying around a variety of grievances including calls for an an investigation into acts of police violence during the protests as well as for the resignation of the Chief Executive Carrie Lam's resignation, who initially put forward the bill.