On September 4, some newspapers reported an incident in which three police constables (PC) spared no efforts in saving several pet dogs in a fire. One of the officers, PC Lam Bing-man, said, "A senior officer once told me 'A policeman should do the job of a policeman'.  I didn't quite understand what he meant, but after this incident, I realise that he was talking about the mission of a policeman."

 

The following story tells how PC Lam and his colleagues saved the dogs, earning wide public acclaim.

 

 

A fire broke out in a flat of Tin Yiu Estate in Tin Shui Wai on September 3. Flames and black smoke spread rapidly and residents escaped immediately. Three officers from Tin Shui Wai Division's Patrol Sub-unit Team 2, PC Mary Choy, PC Sin Tung-lam and PC Lam, sped to the scene immediately after receiving a report and assisted in evacuating the residents from a building.

 

When police cordoned off the scene, several residents worried about their pets left at home and asked police officers for help. PC Choy, also a dog lover, fully appreciated their feelings.  She said, "I have a two-year-old dog.  That day, a resident, after returning from shopping, learned that her dog was stranded at home. Getting frantic and nearly bursting into tears, she asked for help. At that point, I was heartbroken."

 

Then PC Choy comforted the desperate resident and consulted her supervisor. Fortunately, firemen confirmed that flames had not yet reached the resident's unit.  With her supervisor's consent and the firemen's advice, she ran upstairs to pick up the resident's pet.

 

Said PC Choy of her dog rescue, "I was just trying my best to help. When I brought the dog to reunite with its owner after climbing 20 odd floors, the owner burst into tears of joy.  I was close to tears too but managed to hold back my tears."

 

PC Lam and PC Sin also assisted in the rescue operation, running upstairs with PC Choy and saving stranded dogs from two other units.  Said PC Lam, "When the dog owners gave me the keys to their units, they had complete faith on me.  At that point, I was just thinking I must not let them down and do my best to get their pets out of harm's way."

 

 

One of the photos carried by newspapers showed a police officer handing his own bottle of water to an exhausted fireman. PC Sin recalled, "After saving the dogs, I saw a fireman sitting on the ground, completely exhausted. He had finished his bottle of water so I immediately gave him mine. We had worked together to cope with an emergency and rescue people in danger."

 

With the coordination among different departments and their swift response, the fire was put out swiftly and no one was hurt.  Besides police officers and firemen, officers from other departments also assisted in the rescue operation.  For example, Home Affairs Department opened a community centre for the affected residents; the staff and volunteers from Social Welfare Department assisted in registering the residents and offering counselling service; and the estate office provided coordination support for the rescue operation.

 

All lives are precious.  No matter they are human beings or animals, the victims have the rights to live.  In this incident, all the officers participating in the rescue operation demonstrated devotion to duties and worked in collaboration, and the three police officers mentioned above also spared no efforts in "addressing people's pressing needs", earning well-deserved acclaim.

 

(Police Storytelling Group has also conducted a video interview with PC Choy, PC Sin and PC Lam, which has been uploaded to the page of "Animal Watch Scheme" in POINT.)