Astound your friends an English idiom! Intrigue your spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend with poetic words! And impress your kids with your knowledge of English grammar.

You can do all these by joining the newly formed Hong Kong Police English Club, which seeks to enrich members' knowledge of English. Membership is open to all Force members and their families. To date, several local and expatriate officers of all ranks have joined the club as founder members.

Director of Management Services Mike Dowie has accepted the invitation to be the club's first Honorary Chairman.

Commenting on establishment of the club, Mr Dowie said: "I have always believed that a strong language capability, in both Chinese and English, is one of the foundations which contribute to the true professionalism and vibrancy of our Force. I am sure that the new members of this club will be provided with a great opportunity to learn from each other in a fun-filled and relaxed environment, which will not only benefit them individually but also in turn foster greater fluency in English within the Force."

Members of the club will have plenty of opportunities to practise usage of English and improve their proficiency in a congenial atmosphere. Different types of activities will be organised to cater to member's needs, such as quizzes, kids groups, outings and talks on various aspects of the language. The club hopes to combine fun with efforts to improve both spoken and written English.

The new and exciting club will bring practical benefits to you. Check out its website through the link at "POINT/INDEX/Police English Club" to download the application form or contact Membership Secretary, Ms Ng Fung-wan, Vivian, for more details through e-mail:police.englishclub@gmail.com.

Meanwhile, the club is organising a slogan competition to mark its establishment.

Get your creative juices flowing and come up with something creative and eye-catching. Details of the competition are available on the club's website. The deadline for entries is March 1, 2005.

Winners will be presented with a prize and a certificate signed by Mr Dowie.

Workshop on International Phonetic Alphabet

Date: February 18 & 25

Time: 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Venue: G/F Lecture Room of the PSRC

Fee: $50 (member), $100 (non-member)

Application Deadline : February 13

(application form can be downloaded from the club's website)

A working meeting in session