Unbroken: Ag RC KW Ian Seabourne, Barbara Willison, Danny Lawley, B.J. Smith and the Operation Breakthrough team

Turning up at the Tai Mei Tuk Activities and Training Centre, the troop included nine participants from the Sha Tin Boys Home, and under the guidance of Breakthrough masterminds, New Territories North Superintendents Danny Lawley and B.J. Smith, and other officers, each youth confronted their worst fears over the tough weekend through climbing, boxing, abseiling, strenuous physical exercise and jumping 20-feet into the sea from an offshore structure. Officers were constantly at hand offering advice and encouragement, while ensuring safety.

"For the first time in their lives these kids were going to succeed and do so because a police officer would settle for nothing less," SP Lawley said. "Two Special Duties Unit officers also recounted their lives before joining the Force, telling how they overcame problems with triads, a broken home and hatred of authority to become members of the elite unit which commands worldwide respect."

SP Smith added: "The final part of the camp consisted of lectures given to the kids emphasising that in this stage of their lives they had to start taking responsibility for their own situation. It was no good blaming schools, parents or friends for their predicament. They had to make a choice on where they wished to end up in the near future, be it holding down a respectable job or folding sheets in a prison laundry."

The project became an NTN initiative last year after Regional Commander Ng Wai-kit pledged to widen Breakthrough's net citing the overwhelming success of its first two operations that saw an extremely low recidivism rate. Of the almost 200 participants of the project since its inception, and similar side projects, only two have re-offended.

On the Sunday evening, Acting Kowloon West Regional Commander Ian Seabourne and NTN Senior Superintendent (Operations) Barbara Willison presented souvenirs to the group, with more parents than ever in attendance.

"This is the fourth Breakthrough and I am pleased to see the inclusion of several lads from the Boys Home," Mr Seabourne said. "I feel this was one of the best in terms of the way the boys adapted to the discipline and as always, it was a pleasure to see how proud they were of themselves at the finish. I sincerely hope the Force continues to support this worthy project."

SP Lawley said the Boys Home programme manager even phoned in to ask what had happened to his boys, saying he had never seen such a transformation before and was amazed at their positive attitude and new self-confidence.

SP Smith added that many boys befriended the officers and asked to take part in the next Breakthrough. But as enrolment demand was too great, he said he hoped the youths would instead attend weekly boxing sessions at Tai Po Headquarters, which would continue to reinforce the lessons learned through Breakthrough.

"At the end of the day, there are no guarantees that some will not be sucked back into a life of crime," he said. "However, they have been given a chance to look at their lives in a different light, and have seen a positive side to both themselves and the Force, and are better equipped to make choices about where they want to end up in society. Breakthrough claims nothing more than this."

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