In enlisting community support for and participation in his various crime prevention projects, CIP Ko has brought the partnership concept to a bigger dimension. During an interview with OffBeat, he elaborated on his views on partnership, the good it can bring and the ways to forge partnership.

Since taking up his present job in 2003, he has been faithfully practising the concept of partnership. The notable partnership projects he has embarked on are the "Public Rental Housing Estate (PRHE) Access Control", "Sounds of Silence" for kids under supervision by his Juvenile Protection Section, "Anti-telephone Deception" and "Anti-School Burglary". His partners in these projects are property management companies (PMCs), security service companies (SSCs), other commercial companies, security guards, non-governmental agencies, centres for the elderly, schools, government policy bureaux, government departments and social workers.

Judging from his experience about these projects, CIP Ko is convinced that partnership would bring tangible results for fighting and preventing crime. For him, partnership is a means to gain access to stakeholders' expertise, experiences and resources for the good of the community.

"More importantly, partnership is capable of achieving synergy!" he noted.

CIP Ko came to recognise the essence of partnership when he worked part-time at a youth centre when he was a student. Having completed a Master Degree Course in Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong with sponsorship by the Force, he was more convinced of the benefits of partnership for police work. After joining the KE Regional Crime Prevention Office (RCPO), he lost no time in practising partnership for his crime prevention projects.

Award-winning project

CIP Ko's PRHE Access Control Project emerged as winner of the Service Quality Award 2006. He has entered this project and the "Sounds of Silence" Project for the Civil Service Outstanding Award Scheme 2007. Both projects have been short-listed as contenders for this government-wide award.

Speaking of the features of his partnership projects, CIP Ko said the PRHE Access Control Project is a multi-agency joint effort, with the police playing a leading role and other stakeholders, such as the Housing Department, PMCs, SSCs, and, more importantly, security guards, playing their respective roles.

The project has three major features, namely, partnership approach, use of technology and "customer focus". Launched in 2004 to engage the PMCs, SSCs and security guards, as well as Housing Department Housing Managers, the project has substantially reduced burglaries and other crimes at the public rental housing estates in Kowloon East.

Under the project, RCPO KE has also organised seminars and briefings for managers of the PMCs and SSCs, security guards and Housing Department Housing Managers, distributed a tailor-made handbook to the stakeholders, displayed "Notice to Visitor" posters at public rental housing estate entrances, and presented awards to recognise contribution to the access control project.

Sounds of Silence Project

CIP Ko also has adopted a multi-agency approach and modern IT technology for his "Sounds of Silence" Project to prevent Juvenile Protection Section (JPS) supervisees from relapsing into crime. He has enlisted for the project the support of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Correctional Services Department, Government Flying Service and a computer company. The use of e-mail to enhance communication with the youngsters represents a groundbreaking attempt within the Force.

"Sounds of Silence" is much more than a means to enhance communication with JPS supervisees. To help them find employment after schooling, pre-employment training programmes are provided at the Hong Kong Council of Social Service. And meaningful activities are organised to bring positive messages to the youngsters and help them build a proper perspective of social values. Among the activities held in the past were attendances at the passing-out parades at the Police College and visits to the Government Flying Service. Visits were also made to the Correctional Services Department to show the youngsters that crime does not pay.

Anti-telephone deception

To prevent telephone deception, CIP Ko recognises that it is essential to bring such crime to the attention of a more vulnerable group - the elderly who seldom read newspapers or watch television.

"Senior citizens are more vulnerable to deception because they are generally less conscious of crime. Therefore, it is important to make them more alert to the prevalence of telephone deception. To do this, we're making use of the resources of an important stakeholder - the centres for the elderly.

"There are over 200 centres for the elderly in Kowloon East, and by establishing a good network with the centres with the help of the Education and Manpower Bureau, and Social Welfare Department, we've brought our crime prevention messages to thousands of senior citizens," said CIP Ko.

CIP Ko's partners in the Anti-telephone Deception Project also include the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association, RTHK and the Wong Tai Sin School Liaison Committee.

He has established an Internet forum for communicating with, and disseminating relevant information to, his partners. In addition, he has extended the e-mail neworking with his partners covering all schools in Kowloon East for disseminating crime information, and sought assistance from telephone network providers in exploring technical measures to prevent telephone deception.

Speaking of the way forward for promoting partnership, CIP Ko pointed out that for fighting and preventing crime, there is room to bring the partnership concept to a wider context.

"The partnership with property management companies and security service companies is confined to Kowloon East Region. There are over 200,000 security guards in Hong Kong, 10 times the strength of the Force. Some of their primary duties, like maintaining order and security at housing estates, are similar to ours. If security guards get their job done, police can save a lot of resources. We can achieve significant results for detecting and preventing crime if we can further push partnership forward with security guards," he concluded.

Senior Superintendent (Crime) of Kowloon East, Mr Peter Barnes, looks at how the Anti-telephone Deception Project works