The Government has no plan to legislate against the act of insulting public officers, but remains open on whether to legislate, Secretary for Security TK Lai says.
He told lawmakers today the Government will listen to the views of all parties, and study similar regulations and precedents of other jurisdictions as well as the effectiveness of enforcement and the problems encountered.
"Should the Government have any legislative proposals, we will consult the relevant panels of the Legislative Council."
Mr Lai said public views on the issue are polarised. Supporters say that since conflicts are mounting and public officers enforcing the laws are facing increasingly heavy pressure, the Government should legislate to protect them from being arbitrarily insulted.
Opposing views say the enactment of such legislation will cause further social division and might restrict the public's freedom of speech and expression, creating more unnecessary conflict.
"For the Government to undertake any legislative work, it has to prudently consider in a holistic approach all opinions, including those for and against it, whether the expected goals and effects can be achieved through legislation, whether the offence has a clearly defined scope of regulation, the elements involved, whether there are acceptable grounds of defence, and the appropriate penalties."
In all circumstances, arbitrary acts of insulting others are improper and unacceptable in a civilised society, he added.
"We hope everybody will appreciate and respect public officers enforcing the law, be self-disciplined and abide by the law, and be co-operative and supportive to their work."
