Besides Force members, two members of a law enforcement agency outside Hong Kong attended the course for the first time - Mr Vat Chi-meng and Mr Che Peng-kun, both being Chief Criminal Investigators of the Macao Judiciary Police.

To mark their successful completion of the training course, Assistant Commissioner (Crime) Wong Fook-chuen presented certificates to the course members in November.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the course, Mr Wong encouraged the new experts to actively participate in anti-triad investigation, in preparation for their future court attendance.

Organised by the Criminal Intelligence Bureau, the course covered a wide range of triad-related topics, including the legendary background and development of "Hung Mun", triad rituals, triad writings, poems, hand signs and jargon, local triad groups and their illegal activities.

Apart from veteran experts, a Senior Public Prosecutor from the Department of Justice, a professor from the University of Hong Kong, officers from the Correctional Services Department, social workers and a Police School Liaison Officer served as guest lecturers of the training course. Force members, who had participated in undercover operations against triads, shared their experiences with course members.

The 23 Force members of the training course have ample anti-triad experience, and some had acted as undercover operatives. They felt that the course had made them more knowledgeable about triads, and were all set to apply what they had learned from the course in combatting triads in courts.

The Macao police officers have this to say about the training course: "The course embraced both academic knowledge and practical experience, enabling us to know more about triads. The practice of admitting experts to give opinion about triads in courts is something the Macao administration might consider in the future. With the information we've got from the course, we'll further research into Macao's triad history, and continue to have regular exchanges on triad related knowledge with the Hong Kong Police."

The newly trained triad experts with Assistant Commissioner (Crime) Wong Fook-chuen