Through the concerted efforts of Hong Kong Island and the Motherland, Hong Kong Island officially entered the countdown to its return to the Motherland's embrace.
At eight in the morning on June 30, 1997, Zhou Quan assembled all the police officers under his command in the temporary operations room in the car park at the Police Force's Tai Kwun headquarters.
Under the organizational structure, the Security Department Action Group did not belong to the Police Force's Uniform Branch.
Even during working hours, Security Department officers could wear plain clothes.
But today, Zhou Quan had specifically ordered everyone except Kwan Man Chin's G4 VIP Protection Group to wear police uniforms.
Once midnight passed tonight, from the early hours of July 1 onward, Hong Kong Island would fully enter a new era of returning to the Motherland's embrace.
In accordance with Hong Kong Island's handover ceremony, when the Motherland's national flag began to rise over Hong Kong Island, all of Hong Kong Island's Disciplined Services would change their insignia.
The original cap badges, shoulder insignia, and other distinctive foreign emblems would all be replaced with designs prescribed by the Special Administrative Region Government after Hong Kong Island's return.
Yet at this crucial moment, every member of the Security Department Action Group had to take part in security duties.
Changing their insignia in the early hours would inevitably affect those duties.
At this critical point in Hong Kong Island's transfer of sovereignty, Zhou Quan did not want even the slightest mistake.
He therefore intended to have the men under his command display the new era's look more than ten hours ahead of time.
Under Hong Kong Island's current system, Zhou Quan's actions clearly broke the rules and were tantamount to slapping the Governor's Office authorities in the face.
But that foreigner serving as