The Family Conflict and Sexual Violence Policy Unit (FCSV) held a Seminar on Identifying and Handling Mentally Incapacitated Persons (MIP) on January 26 for beefing up officers' capability to handle MIP. About 230 officers from frontline and headquarters units attended the seminar, alongside representatives from five MIP self-help groups and two non-governmental organisations (NGO).

Apart from a session on professional sensitivity, conducted by Police Clinical Psychologist Michael Fung, five guest speakers shared their experiences and expertise concerning MIP. The speakers are Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Lee Wing-king, and Associate Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Chow Yat, both from Kwai Chung Hospital, as well as three members of the public having mentally disordered or mentally handicapped family members.

Dr Lee and Dr Chow imparted their expert knowledge of the behavioural traits and the skills to handle various types of mentally disordered and mentally handicapped persons. The guest speakers from the MIP self-help groups spoke of MIP's needs and the related challenges.

While the audience learned the behavioral traits and, as a result, would be in a better position to identify MIP in the course of their jobs, the guests from the MIP self-help groups and NGO got a better understanding of the police's training with regard to MIP.

Officers are welcomed to contact FCSV if they have any enquiries regarding the subject matter.