Legislation to disband Security Forces Co-ordination Office

The President of the Second Standing Committee of the Legislative Assembly (AL), Chan Chak Mo, said he is “100 per cent sure” the law changes transferring civil protection responsibilities to the Unitary Police Service (SPU) will be enforced before this legislative year ends.
The statements were made after the draft for the proposed law changes – voted on favourably in January at the AL – were approved without disagreement during a session of the Second Standing Committee yesterday.
“We didn’t raise any questions; the committee views will be released in two weeks, with the law changes being presented in the AL at the end of the month,” Mr. Chan said.
The law changes propose that the Security Forces Co-ordination Office be disbanded. Civil protection works, awareness-raising activities, co-ordination of contingency plans and prevention in the face of calamities of various kinds of activity will be transferred to the SPU.
According to the proposal, the changes have the objective of simplifying security administrative procedures, with the SPU also receiving functions as technical, administrative and logistical advisors to the MSAR Security Council.
The President of the Second Standing Committee said that since the law changes will be enforced 30 days after passing in the AL, he was “confident” they would be enforced before the Macau elections to take place this year.