Police stepped up patrols around Pok Wai South Road in Yuen Long on Monday night, two days after a 27 year old woman died in a suspected dog attack, as investigators worked to prevent another incident and gather more evidence about what happened.
Officers remained in the area for a second consecutive night following the death, which occurred late on Saturday after the woman had travelled home from Yuen Long MTR station by shared bicycle. The case has drawn attention to the safety of the area at night, while police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fatal incident.
Two new CCTV cameras have also been installed on fencing beside a cycle track near the Nam Sang Wai Sewage Pumping Station. The location is about 100 metres from where the suspected attack took place.
The additional cameras are understood to provide investigators with more viewing angles around the area. They could help establish the movements of the woman and the dogs before and after the incident, although police have not indicated that the newly installed cameras captured the attack itself.
Woman Last Seen Riding Towards Home
Police previously said the woman arrived at Yuen Long MTR station at about 11.40pm on Saturday.
She then rented a shared bicycle and began cycling towards her home. Around 15 minutes later, at approximately 11.55pm, CCTV footage from a camera positioned about 30 metres from the scene recorded three dogs chasing the bicycle.
The footage is currently the last known image of the woman.
The camera did not capture the actual attack, leaving investigators to piece together the events from available CCTV footage and information provided by members of the public.
The short interval between the woman's departure from the MTR station and the CCTV recording has also helped establish a basic timeline for the investigation. Police are continuing to examine what happened after the woman was seen being pursued by the dogs.
The identities and movements of the dogs remain part of the investigation.
New Cameras Expand CCTV Coverage
The installation of two additional CCTV cameras near the sewage pumping station gives investigators another source of footage to examine.
The cameras were mounted on fencing beside a cycle track, approximately 100 metres from the reported scene. Their position may allow police to examine activity from angles that were not covered by existing surveillance equipment.
Investigators are likely to examine footage for movements involving the woman, the dogs and other people or cyclists who may have been in the vicinity around the time of the incident.
However, the available information does not establish that the new cameras recorded the attack. Police have said that the existing CCTV footage showing the three dogs chasing the woman's bicycle did not record the attack itself.
That gap in the footage makes eyewitness information particularly important to the investigation.
Police Maintain Night Patrols
Officers continued to patrol Pok Wai South Road on Monday night as part of efforts to prevent further incidents in the area.
The patrols came after police had already been present around the location following the woman's death. Their continued presence reflects concerns about possible encounters between members of the public and dogs in the vicinity.
For people travelling through the area at night, the incident has also raised questions about what happened during the period between the woman being seen on CCTV and the discovery of the fatal incident.
Police have not publicly established a complete sequence of events covering that period.
The investigation therefore remains focused on gathering information that can fill the gaps in the existing evidence.
Appeal for Witnesses and Information
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or has information that could assist the investigation to come forward.
Anyone with relevant information can contact the Yuen Long district crime investigation team on 3661 4641.
Investigators are particularly dependent on people who may have been in the area around the time of the incident. This could include pedestrians, cyclists, drivers or other members of the public who may have seen the woman, the dogs or activity around Pok Wai South Road shortly before or after 11.55pm.
Even information that appears minor could help investigators establish a more complete timeline.
Police have so far confirmed that CCTV captured three dogs chasing the woman's bicycle, but the available footage does not show the attack itself. This leaves eyewitness accounts and additional surveillance footage as potentially important sources of evidence.
Investigation Continues
The fatal incident has prompted police to maintain a visible presence around Pok Wai South Road while the investigation continues.
The new CCTV cameras near Nam Sang Wai Sewage Pumping Station add further surveillance coverage to an area close to the scene, while officers continue to patrol the location at night.
For investigators, the central task is to determine exactly what happened after the woman was last captured on CCTV riding her bicycle and to establish the circumstances that led to her death.
Anyone who was in the area late on Saturday night and may have seen anything unusual is being urged to contact police at 3661 4641 rather than assume that their information is unimportant.
Did you witness anything around Pok Wai South Road or the nearby cycle track on Saturday night? If so, police are asking you to share the information with investigators.