Mr Thomas, speaking at the ceremony, took the opportunity to thank Dr Beatrice Cheng and Dr K K Lai, of the Hospital Authority for their considerable support and assistance in the past few years in providing life-saving knowledge and skills to Police officers.

Mr Thomas added that these training activities, aimed at maintaining and updating officers' skills, had been steadily increasing, especially with the introduction of refresher courses this year. He therefore looked forward to the Force's continuing close association with the Hospital Authority and in particular the continued provision of such courses in the future.

Mr Thomas said: "Although Hong Kong is a safe and stable society, Police officers are frequently called upon to undertake various potentially dangerous activities including anti-crime operations and the protection of international dignitaries. In addition, on a daily basis, Police officers attend various emergencies such as traffic accidents and scenes of crime. It is clearly important, therefore, especially in cases where the Police officer is the first to arrive at the scene, that he or she is skilled in first aid and life-saving procedures. Effective and efficient execution of these pre-hospital skills may not only prevent death and disability, but will also further promote public confidence in our emergency services."

He then went on to cite two cases where such knowledge has been put to good effect. On April 15 this year, a PTU constable (from KE Company) attended to a security guard who received serious chop wounds to the head in a cash-in-transit robbery in Tseung Kwan O. The Constable attended to the seriously injured security guard and provided reassurance to him as clearly he was in a state of shock. The officer maintained this close vigilance until the arrival of ambulance crews. In the well-publicised second case, which occurred on April 18 in Tuen Mun, a public bus driver committed suicide by jumping from the rooftop of a building. The Police officers quickly arrived at the scene of the incident and applied mouth-to-mouth and external cardiac resuscitation to the victim. Mr Thomas stated that, apart from showing the challenges Police face in discharging their daily duties, these incidents clearly showed the value of appropriate training.

Mr Thomas concluded: "The Force is a learning organisation, which means that our officers are committed to developing the competences required to serve the community in the most professional manner possible. By adopting the skills that have been provided to us by the Hospital Authority we are able, in turn, to enhance the delivery of our service to the community in the most direct and effective manner."

He then congratulated the officers for their hard work in achieving such high standards, adding that it had given them a broader and deeper professional understanding and working knowledge of paramedic care, which will benefit the community as a whole.