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Youths scoop HKAYP accolades
More than 200 officers and Junior Police Call members won bronze medals in this year's Hong Kong Award for Young People Scheme.
Some 39 of the 215 recipients were junior police officers while the remaining 176 were JPC members.
The scoop of medals add to the 14 golds and 87 silver medals won by both police officers and JPC members during the past year.
Formerly known as the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, the HKAYP was first established in 1956 in the United Kingdom to provide opportunities for youngsters, promote healthy lifestyles and help them reach their potential.
Although initially launched in Commonwealth countries, the scheme was gradually introduced elsewhere under different names and now sees some 400,000 participants in 60 countries.
The scheme was launched in Hong Kong in 1961 and the Force became one of the 18 Operating Committees of the scheme in 1979.
It was renamed the Hong Kong Award for Young People in 1997, featuring gold, silver and bronze categories for youths aged 14 to 25.
Officers interested in joining the HKAYP can contact their Training and Staff Relations or Police Community Relations Officers for details.
 New blood: A troop of award winners on a recent outing |
OffBeat interviewed several medallists, and here's what they had to say!
Silver medallist, Police Constable Ng Ka-long of Police Tactical Unit H Company: "The scheme helped us know more about people from different backgrounds, enriching our knowledge of society.
"We learned a lot from the scheme, of which I thought map reading was very useful for officers in their apprehension of illegal immigrants in the countryside. One time our team canoed to a barren island without enough food. We got a real picture of what hunger was like and so now do not dare waste any food in our daily lives."
Bronze medal winners were PCs Li Ping-cheung and Wong Yu-kei of Ta Kwu Ling Division's Patrol Sub-unit 1. PC Li said: "I'd like my two younger brothers to join the scheme to learn more on how to get along with different people. I think it would be useful for their future careers."
PC Wong: "I enrolled during my school days. Back then it was all fun but now I came to realise there was something deeper in it. You just know how beneficial a healthy lifestyle is to the average city dweller.
"Although I'm approaching 25 and have to leave, I still hope my peers would do the best they can to obtain higher medals."
Bronze medallist, PC Sim Shing-tai of Traffic New Territories North: "We had to make a lot of decisions during our exercises. One wrong step and our plan could be ruined.
"It made me think twice about everything I do in my daily police work."
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