Seventy-seven people have been appointed Justices of the Peace, with effect from July 1. Among them, 52 are appointed under section 3(1)(b) of the Justices of the Peace Ordinance (commonly referred to as "Non-official JPs") and 25 under section 3(1)(a) of the same ordinance (commonly referred to as "Official JPs").

The main function of JPs is to visit prisons, detention centres and other institutions to ensure their effective management and that no-one is unfairly treated or deprived of their rights.

JPs are also required to perform other duties as directed by the Chief Executive, such as carrying out ad-hoc inquiries.