The Hong Kong police said on Thursday that the personal data of a total of 1,614 police officers and their family members were illegally disclosed online since June.

Swalikh Mohammed, Superintendent of Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong police, said at a press conference that the disclosed data included names, identity card numbers, birthdays, phone numbers, home addresses, and even pictures of the children of police officers, and information about their schools and classes.

Mohammed said that quite a number of the police officers and their family members were disturbed in different ways after the data disclosure, such as receiving annoying phone messages and threatening letters. Some of the police quarters were defaced and damaged by bricks.

Some people even broke into the police dormitory buildings, leaving words like "misfortunes must come to your wife and children" on the wall, he said.

Mohammed said it is worrying that some online discussions have turned into violent acts in real world. Some radical and extreme remarks on the internet incited others to commit crimes such as making bombs and using petrol bombs to damage the police stations and harm the police officers.

He emphasized that the laws of Hong Kong can be applied to internet crimes and the police will thoroughly investigate into these cases.

A total of 16 people were arrested for unlawful disclosure of information and unlawful obtain information from computers since June, according to the police.