Hong Kong police have earned a total of AUD$24.8 million in allowances during the past six months of anti-government protests, official figures show.
The meal and work-related allowances were on top of AUD$174 million overtime pay that police have earned since the protests intensified in June, according to the figures released to city legislators on Friday.
The Chinese-ruled city has been convulsed by more than 900 often violent protests since June, the security bureau said earlier, as public opposition to a now-withdrawn extradition bill developed into demands for greater freedoms.
A riot police officer holds a pepper spray projectile gun during demonstrations in Hong Kong. Source: LightRocket
The protests have regularly featured ranks of riot police firing volleys of tear gas or baton-charging protesters, often in central business or tourist areas. Police, in turn, have been attacked with petrol bombs and other projectiles hurled by protesters, many of them masked.
In a written response to questions from pro-democracy lawmakers, the Civil Service Bureau said HK$50 million in meal allowances had been paid to front-line officers and back-end clerical staff who worked 12 hours or more within a day since the turmoil began.
Another HK$85 million was paid out for work-related allowances, it said. The bureau did not give a breakdown but the allowances could include those paid to police who worked undercover or in plainclothes for 30 days.
Riot police officers speak with customers of a street food store during tense demonstrations. Source: LightRocket
Hong Kong police were not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters.
There have been widespread complaints from protesters of police misconduct and public satisfaction with a force once held in great respect by the public has fallen to the lowest on record, according to a poll by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute.
Police loosened guidelines on the use of force in September, giving officers greater power to deal with protesters in difficult situations.
Riot policemen stop and search protesters during demonstrations. Source: LightRocket
Many protesters are now demanding an independent inquiry into their complaints of police brutality. But police have described their action as restrained, with the appropriate use of force to combat illegal acts.
