About 3,000 personnel took part in a cross-department exercise in Hong Kong on 23 September, rehearsing security and emergency arrangements for the 94th INTERPOL General Assembly in late November. The exercise covered the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Victoria Harbour and the West Kowloon area.
The Hong Kong Police Force conducted the drill with other government departments and related organisations. It included rehearsals for the opening and closing ceremonies, traffic coordination for visiting dignitaries and crowd management for about 1,000 simulated delegates. Teams also practised moving people between the main venue and nearby activity sites, running a command centre and handling a wireless-network stress test.
One scenario simulated a suspected bioterrorist attack during a reception. An unattended backpack released an unknown gas, leaving several people feeling unwell, while other emergencies were staged nearby at the same time. The exercise tested tactical intervention, suspicious-object handling, casualty decontamination and triage.
The Hong Kong Fire Services Department, Hospital Authority, the company managing the main conference venue and the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority were among the participating organisations.