The "Hang Seng Bank – Help the Police Fight Youth Crime Competition 2016" was launched on March 22. The theme of the competition is "Fight Crime Together for a Better Tomorrow" with the objective of disseminating the key messages of fighting drugs, cyber crime and quick cash crime.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Commissioner Lo Wai-chung said that the number of youngsters having committed crime had dropped in recent years, demonstrating the effectiveness of the police's strategies and efforts to prevent youth crime. The police would continue to join hands with the community to step up efforts to combat the crime.

With more innovative elements and fun computer games introduced for the competition this year, Mr Lo hoped the participants would enjoy the contest while assisting the police with their creativity in spreading fight crime messages.

Also officiating at the ceremony, the Executive Director and Head of Global Banking and Markets of Hang Seng Bank, Mr Andrew Fung, pointed out the bank places strong emphasis on youth development and instilling good life values in young people. He added that the bank hopes that, through the competition, fight crime messages would be promoted and young people would be encouraged to take a positive attitude in interaction with their families, schoolmates and teachers as well as the community at large.

Introduced in 1975, the biennial competition is one of the major crime prevention programmes organised by the Force and has been supported by Hang Seng Bank since 1994. The competition also aims at steering youngsters clear of youth crime and forging a close police-community partnership in fighting the crime. The competition attracted as many as 290 000 participants in 2014.

The competition consists of four categories: Primary Group (Primary 4-6), Secondary Group (Form 1-6), Tertiary Group (Full-time tertiary students) and a new Open Group (aged below 25) introduced this year.

Contest items are web game and four-cell manga drawing (for Primary Group) and microfilm script writing (for Secondary, Tertiary and Open Groups). The winners will be awarded cash prizes or book coupons, and have an opportunity to attend a leadership training camp and represent Hong Kong as Fight Crime Ambassadors in a visit to the Netherlands this summer.

Entry forms are available in Police Public Relations Branch (PPRB), Police Community Relations Offices, Junior Police Call (JPC) clubs and the Public Enquiry Service Centres of Home Affairs Department. The forms can also be downloaded from the JPC website. The deadline for submissions is April 20.

For details, visit the competition website at www.hsbfightcrime2016.org.hk and JPC Facebook page, or contact PPRB on 2860-6155.