Former British home secretary Robert Peel, credited as the father of modern policing, in 1829 established the Metropolitan Police, the world’s first professional police force.

In a force made up of ordinary citizens, police officers nicknamed “bobbies” were expected to adhere to the “Peelian principles,” often summarized as “policing by consent.” This meant that rather than using fear on the streets of London, “bobbies” had to secure and maintain the approval, respect and affection of the public, an ethos that is still followed. The Hong Kong Police Force of old, modeled on Britain’s police force, once adhered to these principles and was considered “Asia’s finest.”

The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has launched a 10-year “smart national defense” program that would use artificial intelligence (AI) systems and big data analytics to improve the military’s strategic capabilities.

“Smart national defense will focus on cyberwarfare and gathering intelligence over the Internet to allow us to accurately predict the enemy’s movements,” institute director Colonel Lin Gau-joe (林高洲) said.

A protester throws back a tear gas canister fired by police during an anti-government rally in Hong Kong yesterday.
Photo: EPA/EFE

Chaos engulfed Hong Kong’s financial heart yesterday as police fired tear gas and a water cannon at Molotov cocktail-throwing protesters, who defied a ban on rallying — and mounting threats from China — to take to the streets for a 13th straight weekend.