The scholarship is named after IPA founder Arthur Troop, and each year it is awarded to five winners, one each from Asia, Australia, America, Africa and Europe. The scholarship, amounting to 3,000 Swiss Francs (about HK$20,000), will subsidise IP Mak's attendance at the professional conference and seminar to be held at IPA Headquarters at Gimborn to hear presentations by top class lecturers on subjects relevant to police work. After attending the seminar, IP Mak has to submit a written report on the seminar to IPA Headquarters, which will then put the report on the IPA's website.

IP Mak has not yet chosen the topic for the seminar he will attend in 2007, pending IPA's announcement in due course. The seminars held earlier in the year covered terrorism, community policing and organised crime, etc. Each seminar lasted for one to two weeks.

According to the selection criteria, the Arthur Troop Scholarship is awarded to young and bright IPA members who can bring IPA and their local section forward into a challenging and rewarding future and behold IPA to provide every help and assistance to IPA members.

The President of the IPA HK Section, Superintendent Chris Bilham, is delighted to learn of IP Mak winning the scholarship for Asia. "When you consider that, worldwide, IPA has one third of a million members, this is quite an achievement," he observed.

To support his application for the Arthur Troop Scholarship in February 2005, IP Mak submitted essays on some specified topics, including promotion of goodwill and networking among police forces. He handed in his application to the IPA HK Section, which later screened all the applications submitted by local IPA members. Subsequently the Section recommended IP Mak's application to the IPA International Professional Commission.

Feeling honoured to have been selected the scholarship winner in Asia, IP Mak is grateful to IPA HK Section, in particular Mr Bilham, for nominating him for the scholarship. "During my university time, I was selected by the Home Affairs Bureau as a Hong Kong Youth Ambassador to go to the United Kingdom on a three-week promotional trip. I guess the international exposure I got during the trip is one of the reasons I was shorted-listed for the scholarship," he said.

IP Mak said he would grasp at the chance offered by the seminar to broaden his personal horizon by exposing himself to international police experience and friendship.

"I'll do my best to introduce and promote the Force and the IPA HK Section to IPA members from other countries."

Currently attached to PTU "D" Company as Platoon Commander, IP Mak joined the Force in 2003. Prior to joining, he worked in the Intermediaries Supervision Department of the Securities and Futures Commission.

IP Mak will promote the Force and IPA HK Section overseas