Twenty-two percent of disciplinary force members, and their families and friends, feel they have been cyber bullied, according to a survey released on Monday. The survey was published by pro-establishment lawmaker Elizabeth Quat of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), along with members of the Hong Kong Disciplinary Forces Family Care Group.
Quat set up the care group in February this year, saying that recent demonstrations have placed significant psychological burdens on members of disciplinary forces.
Disciplinary forces include the Hong Kong Police Force, the Customs and Excise Department, the Immigration Department, as well as the Independent Commission Against Corruption, among others.
Three-quarters of the respondents said that they did not suffer any form of bullying.
Almost a third of respondents reported feeling down and 23 per cent said that they were anxious after events such as the pro-democracy Occupy protests in 2014 and after the unrest in Mong Kok unrest in February. Over a fifth (22 per cent) said that they felt distressed and 10 per cent felt depressed.
The survey received responses from 319 people, including 176 disciplinary force members and 41 family members, as well as 12 friends. Another 63 were former members of the disciplinary forces and another 27 did not specify their relationship with the forces.
Almost 90 percent felt that support for members of the disciplinary forces and their families was not sufficient. Quat said that society is polarised and that there is a larger and larger burden placed on disciplinary force members. She said that the government should expand the number of positions in the disciplinary forces and increase amount of gear for those in the front line.
The day after Quat’s survey was released, the University of Hong Kong Public Opinion Programme released a survey measuring public satisfaction with different disciplinary forces in Hong Kong. Among them, the Immigration Department recorded the lowest satisfaction rating since the series of surveys began in 2012.
