As another gesture of its appreciation to the Force, HKHA also invited Kowloon West Regional Commander Lo Yik-kee to present Certificates of Merit to 17 representatives from six member hotels at the same presentation ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Lo called for a closer partnership in crime prevention between the Force and the hotel industry.

He pointed out that tourism had become increasingly important to the local economy, "which cannot be fruitfully promoted and developed without the dedicated support of the hotel industry". In recent years, visitors from the Mainland have been welcomed by the community, growing from 8.4 million in 2003 to 12.4 million in 2005. "Their arrival has also raised the question of a possible adverse impact on our rather favourable crime situation," he noted.

Since the introduction of the Individual Visit Scheme in July 2003, Mr Lo continued, an Inter-departmental Task Force chaired by the Police had been steering and coordinating law enforcement action. Contrary to the initial worry of a possible rise in crime due to the influx of Mainland visitors, the number of Mainland visitors arrested for crime has been not only very low, but also falling. For every 100,000 visitors in 2005, less than 16 were arrested.

The Inter-departmental Task Force is concerned not only about the visitors' involvement in illegal activities and crime, but also their safety whilst staying in Hong Kong. "It is pleasing to see that the crime victimisation rate of Mainland visitors has also been very low. For every 100,000 visitors, less than six became victims of crime in 2005," he disclosed.

Mr Lo went on to say that hotel staff can be of great assistance in detecting and preventing crime, and that the certificate presentation illustrated how local hotels have helped in this regard.

"In addition, I can also recall the valuable contribution of individual hotels leading to the neutralisation of counterfeit credit card syndicates from places like Japan during my days commanding the Commercial Crime Bureau a few years ago. On behalf of not only West Kowloon Region but also the Police Force as a whole, I would like to thank all the award recipients for their excellence in the prevention of crime and detection of security incidents on hotel premises. The Police Force is appreciative of their dedication to their job and timely action in those incidents."

Observing that there is room for strengthening communication with hotel operators in detecting and preventing crime, Mr Lo emphasised that it is important for information on crime and suspicious activities to be passed to the Police early in order that appropriate measures can be taken timely and effectively.

"In order to better deter and detect crime, hotel guests should be encouraged to report to the Police once they become victims of crime even though the chance of detection may appear remote on occasions," he noted.

Mr Lo also emphasised that through structured partnership and effective communication, both hotels and the Police are capable of enhancing their ability to resolve any issues of common interest.

"This partnership will not only help both the Police and the Association provide services to the public in a professional manner but also project a positive image of Hong Kong to visitors from all walks of life and enhance the international standing of the tourism industry in Hong Kong.

"By a continuous improvement to the quality of our services and by giving due consideration to our visitors, we can secure a better future for the community. The outstanding award recipients today have indeed set excellent examples for other members of the industry to follow."

In conclusion, Mr Lo said HKHA is in a leading position to coordinate activities that are beneficial to the hotel industry and tourism, adding that he looked forward to a continuous and strong support from hotel operators in the detection and prevention of crime.

The honoured officers with their host and RC KW Lo Yik-kee