Hong Kong will not shorten its eight-hour torch relay, but will dispatch 3,000 policemen to ensure its "safe, orderly and smooth" journey, Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen said in Beijing yesterday.

The relay, the first in 40 years for Hong Kong, has attracted tremendous attention from the public and is warmly welcomed by the majority of the community, Tang said.

The last time the relay was held in the region was in 1968 for the Tokyo Games.

The Hong Kong leg is also the first in Chinese territory after the torch's visits to 19 cities around the world.

"We will send 3,000 policemen to handle the security situation and also talk to local social groups," Tang said.

A trial run to assess the route will be held next Friday. Similar trials have been held many times in the past, he said.

"We will design the route to ensure maximum participation for the public," Tang said.

Although the torch relay will travel along several main roads, the government will do all it can to minimize disruption to local people, he said.

The route will be full of local character and cosmopolitan style, such as dragon boats, local markets and the financial center, he said.

There is contingency to change the 33-km route if the security situation demands it, Tang said.

Also, originally, the torch was to travel twice along Nathan Road, but this was reduced to once to make sure the event is completed within eight hours, he said.

The torch is scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong on April 30, and a welcome ceremony will be held at the Cultural Center at 4 pm.

The relay will start at 10 am on May 2, and at 6 pm the torch will be passed on to Macao.

The Hong Kong leg will feature 120 torchbearers, each of whom will run about 200 m.

As well as visiting Nathan Road, the torch will take in the Tsing Ma Bridge, the Legislative Council building and Chater Road, before ending its journey at Golden Bauhinia Square with the closing ceremony.