Police Constable Simon, an ethnic Pakistani aged 20, is a native Hong Konger who loves running. He has been a long-distance runner since his school days. His personal best time for 10km was 33 minutes. Simon joined the Force and received Recruit Police Constable Foundation Training last year. When he took the 2 400m assessment for the first time, Simon finished at a good time of 7 minutes 22 seconds, which was only one second slower than the original record that had been standing for 28 years. Having injured his leg during training, Simon thought he would make no more breakthrough. Unexpectedly, he set a new record at 7 minutes 14 seconds in the last fitness test, leaving his name in the hall of fame.

Some years ago, Simon and his elder brother joined Project Himalaya, which was designed for non-ethnic Chinese (NEC) youngsters. Together they applied to join the Force subsequently and were admitted to start their training at Hong Kong Police College (HKPC) in August last year. Upon passing out this February, Simon was assigned to Tuen Mun Division. He admitted that his NEC face caused him many problems. “When people give statements, they may question whether I understand spoken Chinese. Someone being inquired even made verbal provocation about my complexion. Yet it is my firm belief that as long as I remain professional and impartial in law enforcement, I can surely promote mutual acceptance and respect among different ethnicities.”

Being proficient in Urdu, he has helped Pakistanis who do not speak Chinese resolve disputes with local Hong Kongers. His elder brother, who passed out at the same time as he did, had similar experience. In a suspected indecent assault case involving a Pakistani girl, although the victim’s father sought the police’s help, he refused to allow his daughter to proceed with the subsequent evidentiary proceedings because he was afraid that his family would be scandalised. It was not until Simon’s brother explained as a fellow countryman that the father changed his mind and accompanied the girl to testify in court.

While he has been a policeman for half a year only, Simon already feels that his job has the dual mission of enforcing the law and promoting mutual assistance and inclusion. He encourages more qualified NEC to join the Force and serve the community. He plans to take a degree course in the future to equip himself as proactive preparation for inspectorate recruitment.