Tai Po fire: Workers at Wang Fuk Court to undergo tight security checks after 3 arrested for allegedly stealing jewellery

Workers entering Wang Fuk Court will undergo tight security checks, including body searches before leaving, after three men were arrested on suspicion of stealing jewellery from the fire-ravaged estate while carrying out building reinforcement works.

A kite near Wang Fuk Court on January 30, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Commissioner of Police Joe Chow told reporters on Sunday that, starting Monday, police would boost security checks at the Tai Po estate.

Police will arrange lockers for workers to store their valuables – like watches and jewellery – before entering the complex, and they will not be allowed to bring more than HK$500 in cash, Chow said.

Officers will also inspect units before workers enter and make a note of any valuables that are conspicuously placed.

Upon leaving, workers will be subject to a body search using metal detectors, he added.

The enhanced security measures come after police arrested three workers last Thursday on suspicion of stealing jewellery worth HK$90,000.

The deadly fire last November engulfed seven of the estate’s eight blocks and killed 168 people.

Wang Fuk Court on December 29, 2025, one month after the deadly fire. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

The three workers allegedly stole seven pieces of jewellery from a unit in Wang Tai House, the block that saw the most number of casualties.

Chow said on Sunday that police had received 81 related reports. He said most of these reports were enquiries involving Wang Fuk Court residents worried about theft, not accusations that items were stolen from their units.

Wang Fuk Court is undergoing building reinforcement works ahead of authorities’ plans to allow residents to return to their flats to retrieve belongings.

Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk said last month that the government needed at least two months so that workers could carry out necessary structural reinforcement works to ensure safety.

Whilst there was no immediate risk of collapse, the beams and flooring had sustained structural damage. Some of the units’ walls had been severely incinerated, Cheuk said, posing safety risks.