Principals give thumbs up to school liaison work
School liaison officers' efforts to form closer ties with schools to prevent criminal activities are proven to be a success, according to letters written to the Police by three primary and secondary school principals.
The principals are from the Cotton Spinners Association Secondary School, Holy Cross Lutheran School (AM) and Po Leung Kuk Luk Hing Too Primary School.
The Secondary School Liaison Officers Programme, which was launched in September 2001, aims to maintain a close working relationship between school management, social workers and parents in a co-ordinated effort to prevent student involvement in criminal activities.
Mr Lok Chun-wa, former principal of the Cotton Spinners Association Secondary School, praised the work of Kwai Tsing Police Community Relations Office in a letter to New Territories South Regional Commander, Mr Mike Dowie.
He said: "In addition to helping our teachers take up preventive measures, the programme also helps students build up a stronger sense of civic spirit and awareness.
"Without the assistance of Secondary School Liaison Officer, Mr Howard Cheung Hung-wan, it would not have been possible to receive positive reports from my school discipline committee, telling me that there has been a significant improvement in the behaviour of our students.
"Having been our school liaison officer for a year and a half, Mr Cheung knows our situation and our students well. He is always ready to assist the school in tackling youth behavioural problems and organising talks for our students. With his professional knowledge and patience, he has had a tremendous influence on teaching our students to realise their civic responsibilities toward society."
Good school liaison work also helps combat crimes.
In a letter to Tseung Kwan O Divisional Commander, Mr Choi Yuk-kwan, Po Leung Kuk Luk Hing Too Primary School Principal, Mr Chan Wing-kwong, praised the work of Police officers led by Senior Inspector Mr Wong Kwok-keung for successfully arresting the suspects in three criminal damage and arson cases which occurred at his school between January 19 and February 6.
After the occurrence of the criminal damage cases, Kwun Tong School Liaison Officer Mr Conyle Ng Ping-fu quickly contacted the principal to get more details of the cases, which enabled Mr Wong to launch an immediate investigation.
Mr Chan told OffBeat that officers acted swiftly in combating crimes and they emphasised the safety of students first, adding that they had strengthened his confidence in Police efforts to protect civil rights.
"Mr Wong was very professional in handling the case," he said. "As soon as he realised that one of the suspects was a teenager, he urged his colleagues to handle the case carefully and cautioned the youth in the presence of a parent. He also thought of the need to educate the youths to let them turn a new leaf. As an educator, I really appreciate his performance."
In the third case, Tsuen Wan School Liaison Officer, Sergeant Ms Tang Wai-ming, helped locate two runaway children. Upon receiving information from Holy Cross Lutheran School (AM), she immediately encouraged the parents concerned to report the cases to the Police.
With such close co-operation, the Patrol Sub-Unit was able to find the pair in Tsuen Wan within five hours.
Principal Ms Leung Sui-yee said the role of school liaison officers was especially vital in the face of numerous temptations posed by places such as cyber cafes. She also appreciated that the officers acted swiftly and were always ready to lend a helping hand to students.
Pupils at Po Leung Kuk Luk Hing Too Primary School listen intently to School Liaison Officer, Mr Conyle Ng Ping-fu