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• Off-duty officer was trying to detain 72-year-old man accused of damaging election banner in Sheung Shui on Thursday
• Suspect arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and assaulting a police officer

An off-duty police sergeant was slashed in the face with a razor in Hong Kong on Thursday as he attempted to arrest a man suspected of damaging the banner of a district council election candidate.

It is the second blade attack on an officer in recent weeks, after a policeman was wounded in the neck at Kwun Tong MTR station by a man wielding a box cutter on October 13.

A police source said the 72-year-old suspect in Thursday's case was arrested after marking a 10cm cross on the sergeant's face with the razor at around 6.15am in Sheung Shui.

The source said: "The sergeant was on the way to work this morning and passed by the Junior Police Call club house in Sheung Shui Wai. He arrested a male for attempting to damage an (election) banner of the pro-establishment camp by razor."

"The suspect struggled and attacked the sergeant."

Both the officer and the suspect were sent to the nearby North District Hospital for treatment. An investigation is under way.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and assaulting a police officer.

How a Hong Kong police officer is recovering from box cutter attack

The Post was told that the banner belonged to district councillor Liu Hing-hung, who is running as an incumbent in the Fung Tsui constituency.

Liu, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, is up against independent pan-democrat Chiang Man-ching.

In the October incident in Kwun Tong, a sergeant was slashed in the neck with a box cutter when responding to reports of criminal damage by a group of men wearing black. A man was arrested and the case has been taken to court.

The district council elections are due to be held on Sunday.

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