“Boar, You Are Surrounded!”

By Shi Baoqing

“Boar, You Are Surrounded!”

By Shi Baoqing

E arly in the morning of May 5, 2015,someone spot a boar of seventy kilos weight in Tai Po Waterfront Park of Hong Kong,and called the police for help.Soon the police arrived,armed with shields,and drove the boar into a flower garden.“Boar,listen carefully!You are now surrounded!”As a policeman shouted out loud to the boar,others were meanwhile busy contacting the Agriculture,FisheriesandConservation Department.Finally a professional femaleveterinariananaesthetizedthe boarwith threeshots and itwas iron-caged and moved away.

After the boar incident,some people commented on the sense of humor of Hong Kong police,for they went through an administrative routine even with a boar.It is out of question that a boar could not understand the policeman’s command.Speaking to the boar was like casting pearls before a swine. Yet,amusing as the whole event is,it is also thought-provoking.The fact that the Hong Kong police spoke to a boar was not merely a humor,it demonstrated their professionalism of exercising administration by law.

The Hong Kong police dealt with the boar in a humane way when enforcing law and they tried peaceful means before resorting to force.Except for taking precautions to stabilize the outer situation,the police took no other“coercive measures”.They rigidly observed the administrative routine by contacting the Agriculture,FisheriesandConservationDepartment and allowed the professional to nab the boar.Allproceduresweregone through without exceeding the range of police power,which fully showcased the law-governed thinking way of the Hong Kong police,that is,to handle matters strictly inaccordancewith laws and procedures.

(From Speech and Eloquence Vol.8,2015)