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The Good Citizen Award (GCA) Presentation Ceremony 2023 jointly organised by the Force and the Fight Crime Committee (FCC), with the support of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC), was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on March 17, attracting an audience of over 600 attendees. With the theme “Hello•Good Citizen” and the elements of “Encounter”, “Acquaintance”, “Commitment” and “United”, the ceremony highlighted the message that good people and deeds are everywhere to encourage citizens to assist the Force in combating crime.
In GCA 2023, 80 GCA awardees were recognised for assisting the Force in fighting crimes, arresting culprits and protecting lives while seven awarded organisations dedicated their efforts in supporting the Force in crime prevention.
Commissioner Siu Chak-yee, Deputy Chairman of the General Committee of HKGCC Ms Chan Sui-kuen and FCC member Mr Siu Chor-kee officiated at the ceremony. Commissioner Siu Chak-yee noted in his speech that the GCA Scheme had accompanied citizens through its 50th anniversary, witnessing the Force’s commitment to promoting community engagement throughout the years. He reminded the citizens to stay vigilant and caution people around them against scams. He also encouraged the attendees to download Scameter+.
The oldest awardee this year was the 84-year-old Ms Lee, who received a phone call from a scammer impersonating her son, claiming that he urgently needed some cash. She immediately reported the case to the police and co-operated with the Force to apprehend the suspect, who was subsequently found guilty of conspiracy to fraud and sentenced to detention centre. Furthermore, it was the first time to have six Good Citizen of the Year awardees, all of whom were boatmen. They did not know each other but jointly rescued 37 lives. The incident occurred when a large group of citizens were engaged in water activities in Sai Kung. As the weather changed dramatically with sudden gales, many canoeists fell into the rough sea. The awardees voluntarily sailed their own boats to rescue those in the water and brought them back to Sai Kung pier safely. The rescued persons attended the ceremony to express their gratitude to the boatmen and present tokens of appreciation.
The programmes that day included the anti-scam song There is no free lunch sung by artistes Mr Harry Ng, Mr Edwin Siu and Mr Albert Au, as well as anti-scam dramas performed by other artistes. The venue also featured photo booth areas and the debut of a four-episode series of “Hello•Good Citizen” produced by the Force based on four awarded stories, with participation of the awardees themselves. The short videos have been uploaded to the Force’s YouTube Channel for viewing.
