The former Special Branch officer says his years in the force taught him that too much is at stake.

BBC: Hearts and minds: London's street battle with al-Qaeda

"That's a very sensible step at the moment, " said Roderick Jones, a vice president of Concentric Solutions and a former special branch officer.

BBC: NEWS | Technology | US seeks terrorists in web worlds

Wayne Kong Yuk-shan, a branch officer at an Aeon office in the Central business district, says some 100 people, a number of them male, queued every day to apply for the pastel-pink card - and choose their free gift from a selection of Hello Kitty appliances. (These days, the giveaways are Kitty cup noodles and a cushion.) "Hong Kong people are very influenced by Japanese culture, so they like Kitty, " says Kong.

CNN: PRETTY IN PINK SLUMP