The Macau Customs Service said in a statement last night that it is “highly” concerned about a video circulating on the internet that shows its officers being filmed during their law enforcement in the Inner Harbour area, adding that an investigation was launched into the person who took the video, who will be passed to the Judiciary Police (PJ) for further investigation.
According to the statement, customs officers were informed at noon yesterday that someone at Pier 21 in the Inner Harbour failed to wear his or her facemask in accordance with this week’s tightened COVID-19 prevention and control measure. The statement added that the customs officers saw a dockworker not wearing his facemask properly. Therefore, the statement said, the customs officer told him to wear his facemask properly, adding that he cooperated with them.
However, the statement pointed out that another dockworker recorded the officers’ enforcement process on his mobile phone. The statement added that the suspect used foul language to insult the officers during the recording, which was then shared and circulated on the internet.
According to the statement, the customs officers took the 50-year-old male suspect to the Customs Service headquarters for further investigation, adding that he admitted that he had recorded and disseminated the video and also insulted the customs officers with vulgar words. The statement underlined that the suspect recorded and uploaded the video without the customs officers’ consent.
The statement noted that the suspect committed the crimes of aggravated defamation and illegal recording.
The Customs Service urged people to cooperate with law enforcement officers, and not to commit any illegal acts, such as insulting people or filming them without their permission.
This undated handout photo provided by the Macau Customs Service yesterday shows the suspect being escorted by customs officers to a vehicle in the Inner Harbour area.
