The Eastern District (EDIST) initiated a Diversity Programme in early 2016 to reach out to people from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds and engage them in crime prevention.

Spearheaded by Assistant Divisional Commander (Operations) of Chai Wan Division (CWDIV) Rohit Bhagat with the assistance of CWDIV inspectors and EDIST Police Community Relations Officer, the programme covered out-reach workshops and seminars for some Non-ethnic Chinese (NEC) groups.

Over the past three months, talks on sexual violence, drug addiction, thefts and telephone deception had been held for the NEC community, drawing a turnout of over 200 attendees.

EDIST's sharing session with the Sikh community on May 7 marked another activity of the Diversity Programme held in collaboration with the Equal Opportunities Commission. Mr Bhagat and Inspector Ng Ka-lun of CWDIV told Sikh members at the Sikh Temple in Happy Valley the crime trends and fight crime messages, while the Sikhs explained their norms to the officers.

Mr Bhagat said that the programme had raised officers' understanding of the NEC's needs and enhanced their professional sensitivity in liaising with the NEC community.