THE artistic skills and imagination of Police officers as well as their children were put to good use in the Force's anti-gambling poster competition.

A total of 48 entries were submitted, including the creative works by police officers, civilian staff and family members of the police officers.

"I was very impressed that many poster entries came from children of police officers who have a very clear understanding that gambling is wrong. It indicates that the culture of the Force is stepping into a new era and that our Healthy Lifestyle Campaign has been promoted very successfully," said WSSP ADMIN HKI Catherine Roper, one of the judges of the competition.

"I was also happy to see that many entries were done with the aid of computers," continued WSSP Roper, who was also a judge of a previous poster competition on anti-corruption. "This reflects the improving computer skills of our colleagues."

Presiding over the awards presentation ceremony for the best posters, ACP P Ng Wai-kit said: "The Force has been promoting a healthy lifestyle which not only aims at serving officers, but also their families and friends. This is compatible with the Force's established principle of serving society.

"The Anti-Gambling Poster competition, organised by Staff Relations Group, has put this principle into practice. The active participation of our colleagues has shown their responsibility towards society.

"This awards presentation ceremony does not put an end to our anti-gambling campaign - it marks the beginning of another stage. All posters from the competition will go on to be displayed in various police districts and formations where our colleagues can appreciate their high quality and message.

"To conclude, I quote a slogan created by one contestant: 'Why choose gambling when there's hundreds and thousands of constructive pastimes'?"