The Carelinks Cadre, established by the Psychological Services Group, marks its 20th anniversary this year. The team has all along provided emotional support to colleagues through voluntary services. Woman Sergeant Chili who joined the team in 2012 once experienced emotional distress herself. With timely care and assistance, she overcame her difficulties fortunately. Since then, she has actively shared her experiences to care about those around, and to find emotional outlets for colleagues and family members.

Chili once believed that they, as police officers, must always remain strong. No matter when or where, they must keep holding on and never show weakness. It was not until she experienced severe emotional distress on an occasion then she realised the importance of mental health. She told frankly, “Excessive work pressure once caused me to feel inexplicable fear whenever the phone rang, and I could not eat or sleep well as a result. Prolonged stress resulted in severe alopecia and even symptoms of depression.”

During a medical consultation, a Chinese medicine practitioner saw through the root of her problem and suggested with care, "Let’s talk about your feelings first." This simple, direct and heartfelt remark moved her to tears in a few moments, released her long-suppressed emotions and made her at the same time understand that "mental illnesses need mental remedies." With guidance from family members and friends, she successfully emerged from her emotional affliction.

Now everything is over. Chili shared, “If I had sought help earlier at that time, my journey could be easier. In fact, we just need someone who is willing to listen. A single thought is enough to change a person’s mindset, hence a life or even a family can be saved. There are also occasions when police officers, as guardians, need to be cared for.”

Deeply moved, she decided to join the Carelinks Cadre. After a rigorous selection process, she completed at least 36 hours of professional training which covered deep listening, grief counselling as well as suicide crisis and incident stress management, passed the assessment, and became a member of this professional support team. The team’s diverse services include organising stress management workshops, arranging experience sharing for Recruit Police Constables and Probationary Inspectors, and operating the Carelinks Hotline to provide immediate support to colleagues in emotional distress.

Chili shared her insights from years of hotline service, “The goal of counselling is not to solve problems, but to offer new perspectives and sincere companionship, allowing colleagues to temporarily put their burdens down and see a way out. We believe that a simple greeting or a moment of listening, though seemingly minor, is the embodiment of ‘accumulating small acts of kindness to become great love’. ”

Among the numerous cases, the most memorable one for her was the involvement in the relief work of the 2018 Tai Po Road bus accident which resulted in 19 fatalities. The Carelinks Cadre was called on to support the families of the deceased alongside professionals from other departments and units. “The mission is a duty that we cannot shirk. While investigators are responsible for doing justice to the deceased, we helped bereaved families who were at a loss to handle the after-death arrangements, and made the living feel relieved.”

After two decades of development, Carelinks Cadre has gone from strength to strength and become a professional support force with 111 members. Looking ahead, Chili hopes to recruit more new members. “The strength of the Force lies not only in professionalism but also in the unity of its 30 000 members. Every sincere act of listening and greeting contributes to a collective effort to safeguard each other’s mental well-being, making the team the most solid backing for all.”

Phoenix Chinese Channel will broadcast a feature story on the Carelinks Cadre and Chili in the programme "My Hong Kong Story" on July 6. For details, please scan the QR code.