Project Sounds of Silence busts triad myth
Convinced that prevention is better than cure and having carried out some studies, Kowloon East Regional Crime Prevention Office (RCPO KE) held an anti-triad seminar called "The Levington Series - Seduction of Black", on November 12, which was a brand new activity of its Sounds of Silence project. The target of the seminar is the juvenile supervisees under the Police Superintendent Discretion Scheme (PSDS) in Kowloon East Region.
Regional Crime Prevention Officer of Kowloon East Ko Shek-cheong pointed out that since its launch in March, Sounds of Silence had been producing satisfactory results. "A total of 432 out of the 817 PSDS supervisees under the care of the Kowloon East Juvenile Protection Section (JPS KE) have participated in the project, and their crime relapse rate is one per cent compared with five per cent for non-participants. This is a clear sign that the project is effective. We expect to continue the project next year," he said.
Enhance Interaction
Officer-in-charge of JPS KE Lai Ka-cheong, who organised the seminar, pointed out that during preparation for the seminar, his section had consulted social workers dealing with juveniles and a scholar in youth research field, Prof Howard Cheng, Associate Dean of Department of Applied Social Sciences, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, on their views of how youngsters see the triads.
"As a result, we're trying to lift the mysterious veil of the triads in an interactive environment with youngsters in the hope that they would realise the consequences of being a triad member and the price to pay," Mr Lai noted.
Hosting the "Seduction of Black" anti-triad seminar was Force Triad Expert George Shek, Officier-in-charge of the Regional Crime Prevention Unit of Wong Tai Sin District. It is the first time a Force Triad Expert has ever given such a talk to youngsters.
"At the two-hour seminar I outlined triad history, its purposes in the past, how gangsters had twisted principles to evolve into a vicious triad society of today. I tried to instil a correct concept in the audience's mind by highlighting the Force's determination and efforts to combat triad crimes. I also cited real cases to illustrate our operational processes, including planning, arrest, prosecution, trial and conviction of triad members," said Mr Shek.
The seminar concluded with interacted group discussions, during which youngsters, guided by police officers and social workers, eagerly shared with one another their experiences and triad related questions. Given the success of the seminar and hoping to benefit more PSDS supervisees, RCPO KE and JPS KE are considering holding more similar events in the future.
The youngsters now no longer have illusions about triads