Public Order Ordinance

Public Order Ordinance
Legislative Council of Hong Kong
Long title An Ordinance to consolidate and amend the law relating to the maintenance of public order, the control of organizations, meetings, places, vessels and aircraft, unlawful assemblies and riots and matters incidental thereto or connected therewith.[1]
Citation	Cap. 245
Enacted by	Legislative Council of Hong Kong
Assented to	17 November 1967
Commenced	17 November 1967
Legislative history
Introduced by	Attorney General Denys Roberts[2]
Introduced	3 November 1967
First reading	1 November 1967
Second reading	15 November 1967
Third reading	15 November 1967
Amended by
1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2017[3]
Related legislation
Peace Preservation Ordinance Summary Offences Ordinance
Status: Current legislation

The Public Order Ordinance (Cap. 245; Chinese: 公安條例; ’POO’) is a piece of primary legislation in Hong Kong. It codifies a number of old common law public order offences. It imposes notification requirements for public processions and meetings which resemble a licensing regime. It also provides for the designation of restricted areas along the Hong Kong-China border and in the military installations. The 1967 Ordinance was enacted in the aftermath of the 1967 Leftist riots. For the following decades, the stringent control over public processions and meetings was relaxed incrementally until 1990s when it was brought in line with human rights standards. Upon Hong Kong handover, the amendments in the 1990s were decreed "not adopted as the laws of the HKSAR" by the NPCSC of China and therefore reverted.