Police are investigating claims that one of their own tried to keep an affair on the very, very down-low by using an official safe house for trysts with his married lover.
The apparent misuse of the safe house came to light when the husband of the officer’s lover hired a private investigator to tail his wife, Apple Daily reports. The PI took photos of the pair going in and out of the safe house inside an industrial building on Hok Yuen Street in Hung Hom on several occasions over the course of one month.
The officer at the center of the case is a married man in his 40s, surnamed Fung, who was last year promoted to the rank of superintendent and transferred to the force’s security wing. Prior to that he was a chief inspector stationed in Mong Kok.
According to the Hong Kong Police Force’s website, the security wing provides VIP protection, liaises with consulates and coordinates security operations, including counter-terrorism and related training.
Fung’s lover is a civil servant who works near the police headquarters in Wan Chai, where Fung is based.
The woman’s husband filed a complaint to police, including the PI’s photos, which were posted in an instant chat group popular among officers on Tuesday.
Apple Daily reports that such safe houses are usually disguised as residential or industrial units, and are typically used for meetings with informants or between undercover officers and their handlers. The locations of the safe houses are changed periodically.
Sources told the newspaper that Fung was the sole key-holder for the safe house in Hung Hom. Since the allegations emerged, police have had to stop using that safe house, and Fung was ordered to take leave as police investigate the incident.
Police declined to comment on the case, aside from saying that they will deal with the matter harshly if any personnel are found to be in violation of the force’s rules.
