Macau police officials have met with representatives of the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) to discuss ways of improving cooperation between police officers and private casino security guards following an incident last week that saw an officer fire a warning shot outside Galaxy Macau.
The shot was fired last Thursday night during a scuffle with three mainland Chinese men who refused to stop smoking in a restricted area nearby a Galaxy Macau entrance.
According to Macau’s Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, the meeting was aimed at preventing similar incidents from occurring again in the future. Among the initiatives to be undertaken as a result will be a review of internal police procedures regarding when an officer should call for reinforcements, as well as the force’s overall capabilities to respond to unforeseen events such as attacks on officers.
Wong added that officers were required to follow strict guidelines when it came to drawing and firing a weapon. Notably, last week’s incident was the first time a Macau police officer had fired a shot since 2007.
Among the measures being considered is equipping officers with pepper spray to provide an alternative option for restraining offenders if necessary.
Wong also revealed that the officer who fired the warning shot had been temporarily transferred to the police logistics team to recover emotionally from the incident, but was quick to defend his actions as necessary under the circumstances.
Investigations are ongoing.
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