The number of tourists asking for police help in Hong Kong’s rural areas nearly doubled last year, sparking calls for more hiking safety awareness. Photo: Edmond SoThe number of tourists asking for police help in Hong Kong’s rural areas nearly doubled last year compared with 2023. The data has sparked calls for more hiking safety awareness.
Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu Chak-yee said the number of calls for help from countryside areas increased from 161 in 2023 to 202 last year. Tourists were involved in 56 cases in 2024, which was nearly twice the 29 cases the year before.
Siu urged the public to think of their safety more carefully before going on hiking trips. He said most calls were related to accidents caused by people who thought they could do a hike harder than they were capable of.
Many came from hikers who were alone or hiking in dangerous weather. Some got distracted while taking photos in unsafe areas. Others did not have emergency supplies.
Siu also called on people to use HKSOS, an app designed by Hong Kong police to help find hikers in trouble. The app can automatically notify emergency contacts and the 999 call centre if hikers are not able to report incidents themselves.
Police said the app also used patented “Signal Radar” technology. This enables rescue workers to accurately detect the location of the mobile used by the person in distress regardless of whether the device has reception.