In an effort to effectively curb the epidemic in Hong Kong, the Government would, based on the epidemic development in different districts, enforce “restriction-testing declaration” (RTD) and issue “compulsory testing notice” in individual districts. The Force has spared no effort in providing staunch support for the relevant enforcement and assisting the public to undergo the compulsory testing in an orderly manner.

Sergeant of the Police Community Relations Office (PCRO) of Sham Shui Po District (SSPODIST) Po and his colleagues have discharged duties in multiple RTD operations in Sham Shui Po. He described the district as culturally diverse because a considerable portion of its population is made up of grassroots families, elderly and non-ethnic Chinese (NEC) individuals and thus there are different concerns to be addressed. Po recalled his experience at the RTD operation in Sham Shui Po during the initial outbreak of the epidemic, “Residents had a lot of questions regarding the compulsory testing. Officers had to grasp the relevant information quickly and explained to the residents. PCRO also arranged NEC officers to be on hand to facilitate communication and to convey timely information to NEC residents in the district.” The Force has accumulated over two years of experience in RTD operation and the collaborations among different departments have grown much closer and smoother, thus the RTD operation flow is now much streamlined and has much less disturbance to residents.

Po is also a School Liaison Officer under the Police School Liaison Programme. Before face-to-face classes were suspended, he visited schools to understand the situation of students under the epidemic. In the wake of the suspension of all face-to-face classes, Po held webinars to convey the updated anti-crime information to students in order to raise their anti-crime awareness.

Po is always exposed to high-risk environment at work and despite his worry about possibly spreading virus to his family, he serves selflessly and fulfils duties at his best. Po hoped the public would join hands with the Government to fight the epidemic together.

There are many grassroots families and subdivided units in Sham Shui Po. Apart from attending the anti-epidemic work, Po also joins home visits with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to distribute supplies and to understand the needs of residents. Po recalled one of the unforgettable home visits, “An elderly woman lived in a unit less than 100 square feet with her grandson studying in primary school. They were unable to replace a blown light bulb so there was no lighting in the flat at all. We immediately bought a new light bulb and installed it. When the light went back on, the two were very pleased. Although the boy lived in poverty, he got good grades at school and would like to take care of his grandmother when he grew up.”

SSPODIST launched Project VIVE in October 2021 to garner support for disadvantaged groups in Sham Shui Po through community networks such as politicians, school principals, parent-teacher associations and NGOs, etc. The team pays regular home visits to subdivided unit households in the district and those in needs, and hands out anti-epidemic supplies. They also organised a drawing activity for residents to express gratitude to the frontline healthcare workers.