A Hong Kong court has stepped up security checks after a man tried to attack a magistrate who convicted him over an indecent assault case years earlier, with staff searching visitors’ belongings searched and prohibiting sharp tools.
A screening station was set up at the entrance of each floor outside the courtrooms of Kowloon City Court on Tuesday, the Post observed.
Security guards and judiciary staff inspected the bags of all court users for objects that they deemed unsafe.
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A noticed posted at the entrance warned that staff members would call police if knives, saws, scissors and brass knuckles were discovered.
The Post saw a security guard stopping a man from entering the courtroom after a cutter was found in his backpack.
The man was asked to leave the cutter with guards despite claiming he was a construction worker who used the tool for work.
Water bottles were also not allowed in courtrooms. Attendees were required to put down any bottles containing liquid in a designated area and could only retrieve them when leaving the premises.
A security guard who inspected the Post reporter’s backpack thoroughly checked each and every pocket. The manual inspection process took about 30 seconds.
The measures were brought in place a day after the 32-year-old man attempted to attack Magistrate Edward Wong Ching-yu in Kowloon City Court while the judicial officer was hearing a case on Monday morning.
Police on Monday said the suspect, who has a history of mental illness, took out a knife and dashed towards the magistrate who was about 20m (65 feet) away.
West Kowloon Court, where all national security cases are heard, used to be the only magistrates’ court that conducted security screenings before the attack on Monday.
The Post did not observe similar measures in other city courts.
Lawmaker Doreen Kong Yuk-foon suggested equipping police deployed in court areas with more weapons.
“Police in courts are not allowed to wear guns. They only have limited equipment such as batons. Is this enough?” Kong told a radio programme.
She said security guards in courts were mostly middle-aged women, questioning whether they would be able to handle people who were highly violent.
“Hopefully security companies would not just send middle-aged women. I’m not discriminating against them but I think there should be both men and women in this role,” she said, urging the government to look into the matter.
Citing experiences in mainland China, Kong said courts there were equipped with shields and other tools for restraining people.
More from South China Morning Post:
- Hong Kong courts to ramp up security after knife-wielding man tried to attack magistrate
- Hong Kong police arrest boy, 14, over collecting cash in HK$554,000 phone scam
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