Two Non-ethnic Chinese (NEC) recruit police constables (RPCs), Niraj Gurung and Zaffar Ifzal, were pleased to participate in the passing-out parade with 257 other RPCs and 28 probationary inspectors at the Police College on April 30.

PC Gurung is the first Nepalese mentee of Project Himalaya of Yuen Long District (YLDIST) joining the Force. He immigrated to Hong Kong with his parents when he was young, and has received local education since then. Joining Project Himalaya in 2014 to improve his language proficiency and communication skills, he eventually passed the selection process and entered the Police College last October.

New Territories North Regional Commander Kwok Ho-fai and YLDIST Commander Fok Lok-sang congratulated RPC Gurung on his graduation, and appealed to other NEC to join the Force or the project. Nepal Consulate also attended the passing-out parade to greet RPC Gurung while some Nepalese reporters covered the event to share the joy with the Nepalese community.

On the other hand, PC Ifzal, the fifth member of Project Gemstone of Yau Tsim District that made his way to the Police College, comes from a Pakistani family. He joined the project in 2014 in an attempt to improve his Chinese language proficiency.

Having been posted to Yau Ma Tei Division, PC Ifzal hopes to act as a bridge between the Force and the NEC community. He spent his leisure time in teaching his fellow members of Project Gemstone to brush up their Chinese language, and encouraged them to join the Force or other government departments.