There are stories of family heritage in different professions, and the police career is no exception. This issue of OffBeat carried an interview with two police officer families from Marine Region on how their fathers inspired them to join the Force.

Superintendent Tim Worrall's grandfather worked as a Master Mariner & Salvage Master for Taikoo Dockyard and oversaw the handing over of two Police launches built at the dockyard to the Force. Mr Worrall's father joined the Force in 1967 and later commanded one of the two launches before retiring as a Chief Superintendent in 1997. On the other hand, Mr Tim Worrall joined the Force as an Inspector in 1994. He has been posted to different units of Marine Region since 2002 and is currently Marine South Divisional Commander.

Meanwhile, Sergeant Lam Cheuk-lun of Marine West Division comes from a family of three generations of police officers, and his father is a retired Sergeant. He joined the Force in 1992 and has served with Marine Region since 1996. He has inspired his two sons, Ho-chun and Ho-long, to join the Marine Police in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Growing up in a police family

Apart from having a sense of mission and hoping to meet the challenges of police work, all the four interviewees mentioned that they joined the Force because they were inspired by their father's police career. Mr Worrall said, "When I was growing up, I saw my father doing many different things in the Police - the Police Tactical Unit, the Emergency Unit and Marine as the Divisional Commander of Marine North. And listening to stories he told made me want to do the same thing. Seeing my grandfather making his life on the water, and then my father working in the Force and working on the water, it's just something that felt like the right thing to do."

Mr Lam Ho-chun said, "When I was a child, my father often brought me and my brother to join community activities held by the Force. We gradually developed an interest in police work." Mr Lam Ho-long added that his father attained professional qualifications in deck and engineering work onboard police vessels. He said, "I want to follow his lead to join the Force to resolve problems."

Experience sharing fosters father-and-son relationships

When faced with difficulties at work, the four interviewees treasure the opportunity to seek advice from their fathers who have rich policing experience. This enabled them to cultivate stronger relationships.

Mr Worrall recalled that like all officers, he had to deal with cases involving deceased persons soon after he became an Inspector. He found his father's advice on how to place and deal with his emotions invaluable. He added, "My father has always taught me never to be embarrassed or ashamed to seek the advice of subordinates who have much more practical experience in policing or handling vessels and to remember, that whilst a member of a team, at the end of the day, I must make the final decision and be responsible for it."

Mr Lam Cheuk-lun also said that he has developed closer relationships with his sons after they became police officers. "I used to share my work with my wife and children. Now as my two sons and I work in the same District, we talk about the joy and hardship of our work from time to time." Mr Lam Ho-long said humorously that his father would raise questions about police work during family time and he would also explain to them navigation work and maritime safety.

Inheriting professional spirit

Mr Worrall said that although his father has retired, he still often sought his advice. He said, "Sometimes when I face challenges, I call my father who now lives in England and he has always been very encouraging."

Similarly, Mr Lam Ho-chun hopes to continue learning from his father, "Now that I fully understand my father's toil, I and my brother pay due respect for my father and would follow in his footsteps, conducting deck work on police vessels."

Mr Lam Cheuk-lun is pleased that his sons joined the Force after him. "This indicates that they grow happily in the family and are fully receptive to my and their mother's teaching and care." He hopes that the duo would continue to receive training in the Force and work hard. "Perhaps someday they will turn out better than me," he said.