Police commissioner Raymond Siu on Saturday vowed to continue stamping out the activities of parallel traders, who buy goods in Hong Kong for resale across the border.

He said since quarantine-free travel with the mainland resumed last month, officials have stepped up patrols in parallel trading black spots.

Police, along with Food and Environmental Hygiene Department officers, have so far issued 19 penalty tickets against people for placing goods at public places and obstructing streets.

On reports about a rise in begging since cross-border travel resumed, the police chief said authorities would monitor the situation and act resolutely when necessary.

Meanwhile, Siu attributed the shrinking police workforce to the drop in recruitment of officers, but said he expected the situation to improve this year with the police force launching different hiring exercises.

The Security Bureau revealed this week that more than 3,000 police officers had left the force in the past three years, and recruitment has fallen well short of target.

Separately, on concerns by the Hong Kong Journalists Association about law enforcement pressuring news organisations by issuing letters about their reports, Siu said the force attached importance to its relationship with the media and it accepts any unbiased criticisms.