The sergeant couple, Kay and Ann, saved a seven-year-old autistic boy who had lost his way on an expressway in Tuen Mun while they were off-duty on April 29. The related footage has been widely circulated on the internet, earning wide media coverage and appreciation by the public.

The couple recalled, “We saw a boy wandering dangerously among the lanes at the junction of Wong Chu Road and Lung Fu Road on our drive to Butterfly Beach that afternoon. We immediately started rescuing the boy.” Kay braked gradually and blocked part of the lanes with his car to avoid accidents being caused by the vehicles behind that might fail to stop in time. Ann dashed to the boy and brought him into the car. They then called their on-duty colleagues for help. However, the boy could not express himself in words all along; nor could Kay and Ann find any clues on the kid for contacting his family. All they could do was to ask their colleagues on duty to seek his family. It was learned afterwards that the boy had had a dispute with his family members. He then left home angrily and walked accidentally onto the highway. It was lucky that he was not injured. The boy’s father subsequently wrote a letter to the couple to express his gratitude. As parents of a son and a daughter, the couple said they would certainly not watch as idle bystanders when they saw the boy in the dangerous situation, even though they were off-duty that day.

This was the third time in their 25-year police career that the couple got into action while off-duty. The first incident happened in 2004. When they were touring an apartment with a real estate agent in Yuen Long, they heard someone at the main entrance of the housing estate yelling “robbery”. The couple immediately chased the suspect and arrested him successfully. Another case happened in 2005. Ann was stationed in the Missing Persons Unit then. When she was off-duty and went shopping with Kay in Yuen Long, it came to her mind that a missing person who had mental illness record liked hanging around Chun Yin Square. They indeed spotted the missing person there. Immediately they called the on-duty officers to pick him up.

Kay and Ann believe that their multiple off-duty rescues are not merely coincidence. Thanks to the professional training from the Force, they pay special attention to the people and things around them. As police officers, they have a strong sense of mission to help others enthusiastically. No matter whether they are on duty or not, they will always come forward to help citizens in need.