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Force Working Group meets with FPTAs
During the second half of 2019, Hong Kong grappled with the worst social unrest in recent years and was left with deep social divisions. Misled by fake news and ill-intentioned parties, as many as 4 000 young students have been arrested for a wide range of offences thus far, accounting for around 40 per cent of the total arrests. Instilling sound values into youths and restoring law-abiding awareness have become the top priorities of the Force Working Group on Community Engagement (FWG), which was founded in March 2020 at the helm of Deputy Commissioner (Operations)
(DCP OPS) Siu Chak-yee and Director of Operations Kwok Yam-yung. As a positive outcome of the last informal meeting with five chairpersons of Federations of Parent-teacher Associations (FPTAs) in January this year, the first half-yearly meeting with chairpersons of FPTAs was held in Hung Hom Police Station on October 22. Police Community Relations Officers (PCROs) of all districts also attended the meeting.
With reference to a similar event held for heads of principals’ associations of 18 districts, the FPTA representatives went on a guided tour to a temporary holding area (THA) in the police station to learn about the Force’s post-arrest procedures and policies to safeguard the rights and well-being of arrested persons, especially minors. During a “Shall We Talk” forum, police volunteers shared with the parents the key observations and insights from interviewing young offenders during Operation TIDERIDER. All these initiatives aimed at enhancing the transparency of police work and rebuilding public trust in the Force.
Serving as the secretary of the FWG, Acting Chief Superintendent (Crime Support) Yu Hoi-kwan delivered a presentation on the major developments and latest progress of the FWG, which monitors and steers Force-wide community engagement initiatives. Apart from rebuilding public trust, the FWG also seeks to sustain long-term rapport with identified change agents and to garner support for policing by restoring law-abiding awareness. It serves as a platform for internal communication within the Force as well as external collaboration with other Government bureaux and departments.
In view of the recent upward trend in child pornography cases, Chief Superintendent (Crime Headquarters) Chung Wing-man and Chief Inspector of Family Conflicts and Sexual Violence Policy Unit Cheung Po-yuet gave practical advice on how to prevent children and juveniles from falling prey to online scams and blackmails. The FPTA representatives also learnt about the latest crime trends and common modus operandi targeting children from the crime officers.
Working with change agents
“Parents play a very important and supportive role in our youth engagement work. Let us join hands with schools to protect our young generation and create a safe environment for them to learn and grow,” DCP OPS said during the meeting, emphasising a concerted effort with all FPTA representatives and urging them to share police information with their corresponding PTAs. He added that all PCROs would actively engage with FPTAs and participate in their activities. He would also host bi-monthly meetings with all PCROs to collect their views and respond to their concerns directly in order to pave the way forward.
At the end of the meeting, multiple FPTA heads hailed the event as very meaningful and rewarding since they had acquired a better understanding about police procedures and had their queries addressed in the question and answer session. The FWG endeavours to stay in touch with FPTAs through mobile communication platforms while PCROs will continue to work closely with parents and important change agents, to rebuild public trust in the Force and heal the rifts in society.
