About 50 mentors and mentees of the Police Mentorship Programme (PMP) 2010-11 attended a passing-out parade for the Police Tactical Unit (PTU) on May 20. The visit was arranged with the support of PTU Commandant, Chief Superintendent Cheung Tak-keung, and his staff.
Prior to the parade, Chief Inspector Tim Lo and Senior Inspector Cathedral Ma gave the mentees a briefing on PTU's command structure, training and advanced equipment. Never having visited PTU before, the mentees were impressed by the turnout of officers from "Golf" Company on the parade ground.
Launched in April last year, PMP 2010-11 is approaching its conclusion. The 133 mentees, who are studying in 10 local tertiary institutes, not only learned about police work and interpersonal skills from their Mentors and Assistant Mentors, but have also taken part in Summer Job Attachment, Summer Day Camp at Police College, and visits to Marine Region, Operations Wing of Hong Kong Island Region and PTU.
Recalling his interaction with the mentees during PMP activities, the Head Mentor, Chief Superintendent Chung Hung-fung, had this to say about these young people: "The mentees are a group of young undergraduates aspiring to join the Force. PMP has provided them with the things they eagerly want - knowledge of the Force and equipped themselves for future challenges. Having experienced police officers who graduated from the same alma maters as their mentors, the mentees have turned to the mentors for advice and guidance on preparation for the Probationary Inspector (PI) selection.
"Some of the mentees who will complete their Bachelor Degree studies in June this year have already submitted their PI applications. They are now busy preparing for interviews and physical fitness tests. I'm confident they will end up with good performances."
Views of Mentors
I/C Mentor of Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Superintendent (SP) Andy Yip, and I/C Mentor of Hong Kong Polytechnic University (POLYU), SP Ricky Ho, have offered valuable advice to the mentees. "It is advisable for mentees to possess knowledge of the Force's command structure, culture and values before submitting applications. I hope they can continue to display integrity and honesty and be supportive of the Force," said SP Yip.
Advising mentees to make an early start with their preparations, SP Ho said, "You should start laying a solid foundation by reading newspapers and journals about current affairs as well as watching English news broadcasts on a daily basis. This practice will keep you updated on current affairs, and you will fare better during an interview."
Views of Mentees
Meanwhile, Richard Ng of Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Ivan Hui of City University of Hong Kong, Herman Yeung of POLYU and Britney Choi of CUHK expressed their views on their mentors' advice and guidance.
"I've gained a lot of police knowledge and working experience from my mentor. As a result, I'm more interested in joining the Force and have developed a sense of belonging towards the Force," said Richard.
"We will always bear our mentors' teachings in mind during studies and at work," said Ivan.
Herman said mentors' commitment to train up mentees "has deeply touched our hearts", while Britney is grateful to her mentors for helping her make good preparations for joining the Force.
A total of 71 mentees have been appointed PI since PMP was rolled out in 2004.
