Those 'glory days' — and ongoing dirty political games

Solutions for the future

"About the current situation", Elms said: "I feel like we may have a disconnect from more than a generation, dating back to 1997. Things were overlooked and allowed to fester."

The retired superintendent recognizes there's hatred out there, and the flames are being repetitively fanned by online influencers.

The reality of Hong Kong as a distinctive economic and social icon has been gradually eroding for years now. It struggles to pivot from its purpose, serving as a financial hub.

Going forward, are there workable solutions for rehabilitation of trust between the police and the community at large? Elms can remark only apropos of the past. After 1967, the police shifted toward community relations. They implemented police community relations officers, promoted more interactions with school kids; it was a general outward push toward the community. Perhaps, he believes, a similar tack is worth a try.

What has all this to do with the city youth today? They will be relied on to right the vessel. Elms, like many, agrees that there are many legitimate issues that need to be addressed in the form of government policies, for example, the out-of-reach housing affordability. But in his view, it also raises concern that the protesters might be risking allowing hysteria and impracticality to take root in the city.