Changes such as these would be regarded as radical in the life of the average person, but for an officer transferred from bustling Kowloon West in Hong Kong to Interpol Headquarters in the historic French city of Lyon, life presented myriad changes and challenges but also many rewards.

SP Stephen Lo

"Once they had ascertained that I was interested I heard nothing else until I was informed that I had been selected for the position for an initial period of two years. I was overjoyed, elated, excited, enthusiastic, but most of all proud, very proud, firstly because I had been appointed to this prestigious position and also because the Force had presented me with an invaluable opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime chance for this individual to prove both his worth and potential."

Mr Lo's move to both a foreign country and a new position was done with the total support of his family.

"My wife was very proud and supportive of my appointment and understood the many advantages for all of us in spending time residing in a wonderful country like France," said Mr Lo.

"My son was only three years old at the time my secondment commenced, so it has certainly not disrupted his education but has in fact presented him with many wonderful opportunities, such as becoming fluent in a foreign language like English and speaking a little French, the experience of growing up with many friends of different nationalities and also developing an appreciation of one of the world's great cuisines."

In fact, the biggest adjustments the Lo family had to make were in the areas of food and language.

"Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city, so we didn't have too much difficulty adjusting to a European lifestyle," said Mr Lo. "For instance, here we eat bread instead of rice. Apart from that it was mainly adjusting to different customs such as "air-kissing" each side of the face when greeting someone instead of shaking hands, getting used to a slower pace of life and being prepared for the labour strikes which occur with amazing regularity in this highly unionised country.

"On the plus side, there are wonderful delicatessens and markets here with endless varieties of delicious French products. The only thing I truly miss is the wonderful fresh seafood we have available in Hong Kong, and the fact that Chinese cuisine over here is actually more akin to Vietnamese food, which is logical I suppose given the fact that the French occupied the country for so many years."

Mr Lo's duties as Liaison Officer included acting as the Asian liaison point for Interpol officers from all 179 member countries, coordinating international police investigations, encouraging international police cooperation, organising international conferences and training as well as responding to requests for assistance from member countries.

Interpol subsequently requested an extension of Mr Lo's period of secondment, until mid-2002, promoting him to the position of Assistant Director Asia and South Pacific, making him one of the first Asian officers at Directorate level. This appointment was confirmed on September 17 (see issue OffBeat 713) and was viewed as an honour for both the Force and Mr Lo .

In his new capacity Mr Lo is in command of the directorate and responsible for the supervision of all staff and associated duties within the unit, and oversees all Interpol activities related to Asia and the South Pacific.

While thoroughly enjoying his secondment in Lyon both personally and professionally, Mr Lo stated that he also looked forward to returning to Hong Kong and resuming his duties with the Force.

"I am most honoured to have been selected for secondment to the Interpol General Secretariat and to have been presented with many opportunities for professional development while here. I would like to take this opportunity of expressing my sincere thanks to Force management for this once-in-lifetime experience," said Mr Lo.