Criminals and un-approved workers can easily slip through the HKZM Bridge border, according to a whistleblower who worked at the port

Loopholes and lax security at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HKZMB) allow wanted criminals and unauthorised staff to slip in and out of Hong Kong undetected, according to a whistleblower investigation by HK01.

Contractors at the “restricted area” bridging the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao use an elaborate system of discarded or outdated passes and messaging codewords to move dozens of people invisibly around the border zones every day, according to a whistleblower who worked at the border.

Only police-approved staff are legally allowed in the restricted areas of the bridge border, but security checks are lax, with no photos on the permits and contracted security guards not checking names or IDs.

The whistleblower says agents for the management company, HZM Bus, provide unused or discarded security passes together with instructions for evading authorities.

For example, fugitives can be warned through messaging apps or an intercom system, including messages such as “Meeting in Tung Chung” or “The chairman is here”, which signal a passing police patrol. According to HK01, when undocumented colleagues hear or read such messages, they are instructed to remove any work clothes and pretend to be tourists lining up to cross the border, or “go to the restroom to avoid police check”.

As the police patrol passes, oblivious to the deception under their noses, a supervisor will notify a coded “all clear” message through the intercom system or social messaging.

“As long as interested parties find the documents, they can freely enter and exit the restricted area. People wanted in Hong Kong can cross the border to Zhuhai and Macau, and vice versa,” says the HK01 investigation.

Genuine employees are also at risk from falling afoul of the law, with the management company often re-using legitimate passes to save the hassle of police checks for new staff. The HK01 whistleblower warns that workers may not know the passes they have been given are illegal, and urges the government to step up security.

HKZMB security contractor Sunbase, whose clients include the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government and the Hong Kong Branch of Xinhua News Agency, did not respond to questions.