"WCH-SchooLink" will also disseminate the latest crime prevention messages and provide a forum to probe common youth crimes such as theft, drug abuse, bullying in schools and technology crime, etc., with detailed explanation on criminal liability and educational counselling.

The website also introduces the structure and functions of WCHDIST, police strategies and targets, as well as the crime trend and characteristics of the District. With the full server support from the SPACE Community College of the University of Hong Kong, the website can be accessed online at www.hkuspace.hku.hk/wchpol-schlink

A ceremony was held last month to launch the website, attracting a large gathering of students, representatives from local schools, parents associations and community groups, government officials and NGO staff specialised in youth work.

Wan Chai District Commander John Cox, told the guests that his visions of the website are "sharing", "synergy" and "sustainable development". The website is a platform for "sharing" in that school kids, parents, teachers and other members of the public can browse through the webpage easily for a wide range of police information and crime preventive advice. They can contact the District's school liaison officers or DATS officers direct any time, using their favourite means of e-communication.

Mr Cox said the website also acts as a motivator for "synergy", enabling quick transfer of useful information or reference material held by professionals with a common mission. Multi-agency stakeholders are provided with a widened network and exposure to untapped resources in the community through the "Hyperlinks" on the webpage. There is great potential for "sustainable development" as the use of the Internet can only be more extensively and constructively used for educational, preventive and publicity purposes.

The scale of the website may be expanded to other districts or even across the territory as experience grows and the effectiveness of the project proves favourable, said Mr Cox.

Wan Chai District Commander John Cox browses the first police-school website on HKI