Hong Kong still faces underlying threats, with a series of anthem blunders a classic example of “soft confrontations” carried out by those who wish to attack both the country and city, the retiring head of police’s National Security Department has said.

Edwina Lau Chi-wai, deputy police commissioner overseeing national security, also pushed back against suggestions that the force’s latest protest regulation measures had curbed free speech, arguing that “people with ulterior motives” were “distorting” ideas.

Lau, 57, was officially appointed as the force’s first national security chief on July 3, 2020, and her final day in office was scheduled for Friday. She took up the reins just three days after the Beijing-imposed national security law took effect in Hong Kong.