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Forty citizens who helped the Police fight crime were commended at the Good Citizen Award (GCA) Presentation Ceremony today (November 15).
One of the awardees received the Good Citizen of The Year Award (GCYA), while the others received the GCA. With their help, 30 persons were arrested for a variety of offences including telephone deception, theft, burglary, robbery, wounding and indecent assault.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) Mr Tang Kam-moon noted that compared with many major cities, Hong Kong was a safer place with a low crime rate, which was a result of partnership of the Police and the community. Mr Tang pointed out that with the cooperation of members of the public, culprits have to face a higher risk and crime rates would naturally drop.
Mr Tang also thanked the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC) for supporting the GCA scheme all these years.
Also at the ceremony, the member of Manpower Committee of the HKGCC, Mr Albert Wong, said that Hong Kong, as a first-class metropolitan city, should maintain a stable business and safe living environment in order to continually attract foreign investment and boost up the local economy. Police-community partnership in combating crime is essential for the safety of the city, he said.
The member of the Fight Crime Committee, Mr Richard Tang Yat-sun, also agreed that, apart from the professionalism of the Force, Police-community cooperation also played a crucial part in making Hong Kong remain one of the safest and most stable societies in the world. He commended the award recipients for taking the initiatives to help the Police fight crime, which demonstrated the spirit of partnership.
Ms Kwong Ying-nui, winner of the GCYA, rescued a three-year-old girl in a case of domestic violence and made a report to police. Ms Kwong continued to take care of the child until a social worker took over the case.
Ms Kwong was presented with a plaque and a cash award of $3,000. All other GCA winners each received a certificate and a cheque of $2,000.
Six awardees, Mr Chan Man-wah, Ms Cheung Yung-tai, Ms Chow Kan-lan, Mr Li Man-chuen, Ms Wong Mei-siu and Mr Yeung Chung-hin all helped to foil telephone scam. Mr Chan, Ms Cheung, Ms Chow and Mr Li all received calls from swindlers who claimed to have detained their family members and demanded for a ransom. When they found that their family members were safe, they reported the cases to the Police and helped the Police to arrest three swindlers. The bank staff, Ms Wong and Mr Yeung, separately helped two clients to uncover the scam and save them from suffering loss.
Presented twice a year, the Award is organised by the Police Public Relations Branch and sponsored by the HKGCC. More than 3 800 persons have been commended over the years.
Police Report No. 231
Ends/Thursday, November 15, 2012
Issued at HKT 18:38
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