1602人聯署要求執法部門實時發布罪案資訊
1602 in Signature Campaign Urging Government to Provide Real-Time Crime Information to the Media
1602名新聞從業員和新聞系師生以及三個新聞團體聯署，強烈要求警方及消防處在刪除報案人和涉事者的個人資料後，不經篩選地把罪案資訊實時向傳媒發布，以確保港人的知情權和資訊自由。
參與是次聯署的人數打破香港記者協會歷來發起的簽名運動。聯署團體包括香港攝影記者協會、香港華文報業協會及香港外國記者會；聯署者包括靜態、財經、攝影、突發、編輯、新聞機構行政人員、新聞系學者及學生等業界不同層面，反映業內對執法部門發布罪案和求助個案的手法極之不滿，當局必須正視，從速改善。
警方近月經傳媒披露把個別與市民安危息息相關的罪案資訊秘而不宣、引起市民巨大反響後，近日大幅提高發布罪案的數目，由2009年的每天只發布2.7宗罪案資訊，至近月每日約二百宗，這雖已回應了市民一些關注，但未能解決問題核心和市民的質疑：為何警方不可以不經篩選地發放資訊？再者，篩選原則不明亦令人憂慮罪案資訊被刻意隱瞞及人為「遺漏」。
本會更憂慮，若當局不按記協所建議的公平公開原則運作，現時發放罪案數量的增加可能只是曇花一現，甚或因領導層的人事遞嬗而再生變化，令市民知情權在不知不覺間受損。
本會促請當局本著開放透明施政的原則，在刪除報案人和涉事者的個人資料後，不經篩選地把罪案資訊實時向傳媒發布，以確保港人的知情權和資訊自由。
是次「要求實時發布罪案資訊 保障巿民知情權」的聲明和聯署者名字，將於本月21日在兩大報章刊登。
香港記者協會
2011年11月20日
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A total of 1602 journalists, professors and journalism students as well as three media-related organisations have joined HKJA’s signature campaign strongly demanding that the Police and the Fire Services Department publicise information on crimes to the media in real-time, without any pre-selection, after deleting the personal data of the people involved.
The scale of participation in this signature campaign breaks all records in HKJA history. Those joining include the Foreign Correspondents Club, Hong Kong Chinese Press Association, Hong Kong Press Photographers Association and reporters from the General News Desks, Financial News Desks, Spot News Desks, Photographers, Editors, administrators of news organizations. It reflects the great dissatisfaction with the way law-enforcement agencies release information on crimes and those seeking police assistance. The Police Department and the Fire Services Department must face up to this and make prompt rectifications.
After media exposed the Police Department’s failure to release information affecting public safety, there was a significant rise in the number of criminal cases released to the media. We saw that the daily average of cases released by the Police to the media rose from 2.7 to around 200 daily. This may have been in partial response to the public’s demand but it does not get to the core issue: Why are the police not releasing information without any vetting? The vetting principles are kept in the dark. We are concerned that some important information in the public interest may be hidden from the public or simply ‘omitted’.
We are concerned that if the law-enforcement agencies do not act in accordance with the fair principle that HKJA has demanded, this increase in crime information released will merely be an expediency of the moment. This leaves open the likelihood of changes following subsequent personnel changes in the force. This will harm the public’s right to information.
We urge the law-enforcement agencies to adhere to the principle of transparent governance, to release real-time crime information to the media without prior screening except for the deletion of personal information of informants and other involved persons to ensure that the right to know and freedom of information of the people will remain intact.
The statement and the signatories of this joint signature campaign of “Protect People's Right to Information, Publicise Crime News in Real-time” will be published in two newspapers on November 21.
Hong Kong Journalists Association
20 November 2011
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