Off Beat

Force mourns fallen constable

HUNDREDS of police officers, friends and family have paid their last respects to Police Constable Kong Wing-fat, remembering him as a dedicated, witty officer and a devoted family man.

PC Kong, 38, who was attached to Police Launch 53 of Marine East Division, died at Prince of Wales Hospital on March 27, hours after being trapped under a toppled crane.

His wife and two children were joined by CP Eddie Hui Ki-on and representatives from various Police regions, wings, branches and staff associations to pay their final respects at Universal Funeral Parlour in Hung Hom on April 12.

Officers fold the Force drape and pay their last respects to PC Kong Wing-fat

The Force funeral was held immediately after the religious services with former colleagues placing the Force drape and wreath, along with Mr Kong's cap and belt, on the coffin.

A guard of honour drawn from the Marine Outer Waters District saluted as pall-bearers carried the coffin to the Force's hearse, before the Force Escort Group flanked the cortege to Gallant Gardens in Fanling's Wo Hop Shek Cemetery where PC Kong was laid to rest.

Divisional Commander of Marine East Richard Sheridan praised PC Kong's dedication as an officer and jocularity on the job which made him popular among work mates. Mr Sheridan, who has worked with PC Kong sporadically for about 15 years, said the "good all-round officer" would be missed by his colleagues.

"He was a very dedicated, reliable, hard-working officer, and a devoted family man. He also had a good sense of humour which was appreciated by everyone in the division. He was very well-liked and will be missed," Mr Sheridan said.

Those who would like to make a donation to the wife and the children of the late PC Kong can contact the Marine Regional Welfare Office at 2301-1671.

Stronger ties to stop border breeches

Mr Ng (right) elaborates on the border issue as Mr Lin (centre) and Regional Commander Marine Foo Tsun-kong listen in

ENHANCED co-operation between the Force and its mainland counterparts has been pledged to crack down on illegal immigration and smuggling.

The pledge came after a meeting between Director of Operations Benny Ng Ching-kwok and Guangdong Border Defence Bureau director Lin Jieyuan on March 31.

The meeting looked at co-ordinated enforcement strategies on both sides of the boundary, particularly in the wake of the recent Court of First Instance ruling on mainlanders seeking right of abode.

The Guangdong officials reassured that its resources had been strengthened in the crackdown on snakeheads and illegal immigration activities.

The five-member Bureau delegation visited the Regional Command and Control Centre, Marine, in Sai Wan Ho, where the meeting was later held, before heading to the boundary to inspect the Force's anti-II equipment and other facilities.

At the meeting, Mr Ng thanked his mainland counterparts for their unfailing support in policing the land and sea boundaries.

"We are glad to see that both sides have maintained vigilance and made use of modern technology in detecting and combating illegal activities along the boundary both on land and at sea," Mr Ng said.

Life saving a 24-hour job

There can be no set working hours for assisting a person in danger, and nobody knows this more than a police officer - on or off the beat. Officers' holidays, barbecues, family outings and even romantic dinners have been known to be abruptly interrupted by cries for help - and time and again, officers of the Hong Kong Police have literally dropped everything to assist, such as in these recent incidents.

WHILE strolling with a friend along the promenade outside the Cultural Centre in the small hours of February 8, off duty Police Constable Yeung Hung-chun of Mong Kok District heard a scream and spotted a young woman in the waters off the walkway.

The constable swiftly jumped into the water to bring the woman to safety and waited with her for the ambulance.

The woman, aged about 20, said later she had been depressed and wanted to take her own life.

Meanwhile, Mo Ah-nam and Chu Kin-man, two PCs stationed in Tsim Sha Tsui, were in a similar situation on the night of March 4.

They saved a man aged about 50, found struggling in the waters off the promenade.

Water boys: (Left to right) PCs Mo, Yeung and Chu at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront where they saved a man and a woman in two separate incidents

Monkey grip: SSGT Choi (third from left) and his officers recreate the human chain which saved the life of a 16-year-old in North Point

Smooth talking: PCs Kwok (right) and Yu show the canopy where they talked down a suicidal woman

On Hong Kong Island, two PCs of No. 2 Platoon of EU HKI, Kwok Chi-fung and Yu Tak-leung, talked down a 33-year-old woman threatening suicide by jumping off the canopy of a Gloucester Road pedestrian footbridge near the Academy for Performing Arts in Wan Chai on the evening of March 16.

And in another incident, a team of police officers led by Station Sergeant Choi Siu-fung banded themselves into a human chain, clutching each other's arms to pull a 16-year-old boy out of water off North Point Estate in the late evening of April 5.

Other officers participating in the rescue included Acting SSGT Wong Shek-chi along with PCs Chu Chung-kei, Fung Siu-hung and Leung Sin-hung.