PUBLISHED ONJuly 24, 2026 2:05 PMBYSean LerA Hong Kong police officer has been removed from his duties after he was filmed engaging in an expletive-laden exchange with an intoxicated man on the streets, using the patrol vehicle's loudspeaker system.
The incident reportedly took place at on Friday early morning (July 24) in Kwai Chung's Lai King, New Territories.
A taxi passenger was seen in an altercation with the cabbie after getting off the vehicle.
Videos posted on Threads show the duo engaged in a shouting match while using their shoulders to nudge the other.
A police vehicle is later seen responding to the incident.
Just as it seems that the incident is resolved, the passenger is seen hurling profanities at the officers as they drive off.
Another video shows the man walking down a footpath with the police van now driving behind him.
The police vehicle's loudspeaker system broadcasts an officer's expletives, directing "greetings" at the passenger's mother in Cantonese.
From the videos, the passenger is heard returning the "greetings" with colourful language.
The incident has since gone viral, sparking discussions among Hong Kong netizens.
"The man in the white shirt (taxi passenger) was certainly mean, but I did not expect police officers to "retaliate" in this way," a Threads user commented.
Another asked: "Police officers are trained professionals. How could they use a police vehicle's loudspeaker to hurl vulgarities at others?"
But there were also those who empathised with the officers' encounter.
"The man hit a taxi driver and then went on to abuse police officers," one user noted.
@asiaone A Hong Kong cop has been removed from duties after he did the opposite of de-escalating a situation, instead, ending up in a profanity-laden exchange with a drunk man. #news #HongKong #Police #Behaviour ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
According to Hong Kong media outlet Sing Tao Daily, the passenger, a 61-year-old man had used a HK$500 note to pay for the taxi fare.
Unhappy that the driver took time to return him the change, the passenger got into an argument with him.
A resident from a nearby housing block called for police assistance.
Police officers responding to the incident noted that the duo did not sustain any injuries, the fare was paid, and were leaving the scene when the other incident happened.
The elderly man was later arrested for being intoxicated in a public place and disorderly conduct. He has since been released on bail.
Meanwhile, the police officer who engaged in the profanity-laden exchange with the man has been transferred from his duties and will face a disciplinary inquiry.
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