Helping NEC read and write Chinese
another community engagement initiative
Public support is the key to success for the Force. Hong Kong is a melting pot for different ethnic minorities and cultures, where engagement of the Non-ethnic Chinese (NEC) community is becoming increasingly important for the Force.
Many NEC residents were born and brought up in Hong Kong, but they find it hard to integrate into the community for being unable to read and write Chinese. Therefore, many Police Districts have organised programmes for NEC youths to brush up their Chinese language proficiency.
In February this year, Yuen Long District (YLDIST) and Yau Tsim District (YTDIST) took the lead in running a pilot project to provide training in Chinese language for NEC Junior Police Call (JPC) members in a bid to help them pass the Government Standard Examination (GSE) and arouse their interest in joining the Force.
Project "Himalaya" in YLDIST
YLDIST rolled out Project "Himalaya" on February 18 to help NEC JPC members pass the Recruit Police Constable (RPC) recruitment exercise and the GSE.
The project is divided into two tiers, with tier I targeting at NEC JPC members who have acquired the basic entry requirements for the RPC post and attracting 16 NEC students of different nationalities, including Pakistani, Nepalese and Nigerian. Some of them are expected to apply for the RPC post in the first half of this year.
Seventeen NEC senior secondary students have enrolled for the tier II programme and both tiers include a mentorship programme and Chinese tutorial classes. The mentorship programme comprises a recruitment talk, sharing sessions with serving NEC police officers, and coaching by police volunteers on the knowledge and skills required of RPC, such as Physical Fitness Test, Self-introduction, Group Interview and Final Interview. In the Chinese tutorial classes, the Chinese tutor provides exercises on topics of the GSE, such as Comprehension and Practical Writing.
YLDIST also reaches out to NEC primary schools in a bid to engage the NEC community. In January, YLDIST volunteers called at the UMAH International School to introduce the Chinese New Year traditions and promote road safety to students through games and activities.
Project "Gemstone" in YTDIST
YTDIST has about 12,000 NEC residents, including second-generation youngsters who are attending schools in YTDIST or elsewhere. Some of them aspire to pursuing a career in the Force or the Civil Service, but can hardly do so due to lack of Chinese language proficiency.
YTDIST, therefore, has rolled out Project "Gemstone" to help NEC JPC members overcome language barriers by providing Chinese language classes so that they would be able to speak and write Chinese and meet the language requirements of the GSE.
The project also offers a Chinese language course and visits to government departments for NEC youths to acquire knowledge of the Administration and brush up their ability to speak Cantonese. The course syllabus was designed by YTDIST Police Community Relations Officer, Chief Inspector M M Khan, in consultation with a professional teacher. The weekly class started with 32 NEC youths in Yau Ma Tei Kai Fong School on February 23. The class is split into two tiers with similar arrangements as those in YLDIST.
Other engagement
initiatives
As well as Chinese languages classes, engagement of NEC young people as Police Community Liaison Assistants (PCLA) has also improved the communication between the Force and NEC community. The PCLA scheme was rolled out Force-wide on February 1 this year.
Meanwhile, Police Districts have organised different types of activities for NEC community with a view to enhancing communication, projecting the image of the Force and promoting racial harmony.
The activities included visits to Police units, crime prevention seminars, community services, training in football and cricket, camping, dramas, and recruitment talks, enabling NEC youths to meet their local peers and practise oral Chinese.
All in all, Force members appreciate the importance of community support. By the same token, the Force hopes that NEC engagement would help nurture a new generation who would call Hong Kong their home regardless of origins, races and religions.
NEC JPC members in a Project "Gemstone" Chinese
language class 
Commissioner
Tsang
Wai-hung chats with project "Gemstone" members at a Police
College passing-out parade on April 13
NEC
students
in a Chinese Language class are very attentive
Officers
teach NEC youngsters to write Chinese 
PC Heina
shares her experience with mentees of Project "Himalaya"
Mentees
attending a Chinese tutorial class