Commissioner Tsang Wai-hung and Senior Directorate Group (SDG) members started calling at various regions on January 5 and attended Thank-You Forums to express their gratitude to all the Force members who have contributed to the 79-day Operation SOLARPEAK. Mr Tsang attended seven forums while SDG members attended 23, meeting a total of over 7 300 officers.
The Secretary for Security, Mr Lai Tung-kwok, together with his Under Secretary, Mr John Lee, and Permanent Secretary, Mr Joshua Law, attended two of the Thank-You Forums to show support for officers.
Speaking at one of the Thank-You Forums, Mr Tsang once again thanked officers who directly took part in the Operation or carried out watch and ward duties in police stations for their dedication to duty and steadfastness in maintaining law and order and providing services to the public.
“It was one of the most challenging times for the Hong Kong Police since the riots in the 60’s. It was really a challenge but we made it through,” he noted.
Deputy Commissioner (Operations) Wong Chi-hung also met about 200 frontline auxiliary officers at Auxiliary Headquarters on January 23 to extend the appreciation of the Force management for supporting their regular counterparts during the Operation.
Positivity Workshops
Besides the Thank-You Forums, over 150 Positivity Workshops were conducted by Police Clinical Psychologists (PCP) between January 5 and February 6 for more than 6 300 officers involved in Operation SOLARPEAK, including officers from Tier I, II and III companies, crime officers, and officers who participated in other capacities, like members of the Media Liaison Team and the Public Enquiry Unit.
The objectives of the workshops were to consolidate the sense of cohesiveness and unity built during the Operation and help officers, in a positive way, cope with any adverse feelings or emotions that might have surfaced during the Operation.
In the workshops, PCPs discussed with officers the ways to strengthen their family and social relationships after the Operation, and introduced gratitude as a useful psychological tool for coping with adverse experiences. They hoped officers would find a positive meaning from the hardship they had gone through, develop resilience against adversities, and equip themselves for the challenges ahead.
The workshops allowed officers from the same platoon or having played the same role to get together again. They also met CP or SDG members at the Thank-You Forums following the workshops.
Both the Workshops and Thank-You Forums were well received by Force members, bringing a positive ending to the Operation.
