Commissioner of Police Andy Tsang is on a visit to France and Germany to meet with law-enforcement agencies there.

In France, Mr Tsang met French National Police Director General Claude Baland, and Military Police (Gendarmerie Nationale) and Paris Police Force chiefs.

The French National Police thanked the Hong Kong Police for their cooperation in the fight against financial crime and illegal immigrants in recent years. More collaboration between the two forces is expected, especially in the fight against organised crime.

Both forces faced similar challenges in maintaining law and order while facilitating public order events, Mr Baland noted, and would benefit from sharing their experiences.

After the French and Hong Kong Police signed a letter of intent in 2011, cooperation has been stepped up. The visit allowed both sides’ management to identify areas for closer strategic partnership, which includes organised crime investigation, money laundering, cyber crime, counter-terrorism initiatives, cyber security and crowd-management training and tactics.

The commissioner will next visit Germany.