A suspected inside job occurred at the Fifty Gospel Institute in Ho Man Tin, where a major theft of school electronic devices took place. On September 4th at 9:17 AM, the institute reported to the police that 58 new iPad tablets, MacBooks Pro, and Sony professional cameras worth over 280,000 Hong Kong dollars had disappeared during a stocktaking, stored in a locked IT room whose keys were in the hands of the departing IT worker. Prior to September, the school had purchased 64 new electronic teaching devices for use, which were stored in a locked IT room secured by two keys, one of which was held by the recently retired IT staff member. The suspect used his position to steal the equipment in the final days before leaving his employment. The institute confirmed that during the handover and inventory, the vast majority of iPads and computers were missing, with only a few remaining. Upon discovery, the new IT staff promptly alerted the school authorities, who then reported the incident to the police. The theft case, logged as "theft," is under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Squad's Fourth Squad of the Kowloon City Police Division. The police are currently reviewing staff records and CCTV footage to identify the departing IT staff member.
As the investigation is ongoing, the case has highlighted the vulnerabilities in key management at educational institutions. Schools are now reviewing their security procedures and implementing stricter controls over access to valuable assets, especially in departments handling expensive electronic devices. This incident also raises concerns about potential insider threats in educational settings and the importance of thorough handover processes and inventory management.