Working for the Central Police Training & Development Authority (Centrex) in the United Kingdom on a two-year secondment programme, one of my training responsibilities is to manage a 'train-the-trainers' programme on civil policing for Police officers in various countries, including the Mainland, who will be deployed by their home countries to work on the United Nations' peace-keeping missions.

I have got two experienced Police sergeants who work for me on this training project in Accra, the capital of Ghana. During my stay in Accra, I met a number of Police officers from different African countries who were there to attend a three-week course run by Centrex. Like most other overseas counterparts that I have met, the African Police officers were very interested in learning about the Hong Kong Police and the general socio-political situation in Hong Kong after the Handover in 1997.

Beijing & Henan

Two weeks after I had returned to the UK, I flew to Beijing to have meetings with senior officials from the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). I visited Mainland in my official capacity as a specialist member of a joint delegation from the United Nations' Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR), in Geneva, and the Great Britain-China Centre (GBCC), in London. My responsibility on this visit was to assess the training needs on human rights protection in law enforcement in China, and to submit a report to UNOHCHR and GBCC on my return to the UK.

The three-day meetings with MPS and MFA officials ended in complete success. I have now written a report on behalf of our Joint Delegation and, subject to funding, I shall look forward to meeting the first group of Mainland Police trainers attending a human rights course at Bramshill later this year. Hopefully, either I or my successor will have another chance of visiting the Mainland on a follow-up course before mid-2004.

During my visit to the Mainland, I flew to Henan Province and visited the Henan Public Security Bureau, and one of the Police training schools in Zhengzhou. It was a very impressive and worthwhile visit. My Mainland counterparts were apparently surprised to find out that I, being an official member from an overseas visiting delegation, turned out to be a Police officer from the Hong Kong SAR, China.

Last but not least, I shall return to Hong Kong in June/July this year for a family re-union after working alone in the UK for more than a year. I am probably the first ever Hong Kong secondee to work in Bramshill alone without his spouse or children. It is a big challenge to me having to take care of myself without family support in addition to having to work in a foreign country.

I send my warmest regards to fellow colleagues working so admirably during the recent atypical pneumonia crisis, and in line with our finest tradition and professionalism.

SP Bernie So and two Bramshill sergeants pose with Ghana Police trainees

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