The Regional Crime Prevention Office of New Territories South (RCPO NTS) and a number of community organisations held an activity to spread crime prevention messages to elderly singletons in Kwai Tsing District on May 19. The co-organisers were the Windshield Charitable Foundation, Lai Sum Service Association, the Life Encouraging Fund Limited, the Federation of Parent-Teacher Associations (Kwai Tsing District), Kwai Chung Elderly Mutual Help Committee and the Cotton Spinners Association Secondary School.

RCPO officers and representatives of the co-organisers briefed 150 elderly people about the latest crime trends as well as the modus operandi of phone fraudsters and scammers on the street, and provided tips for preventing deception. The officers and representatives distributed anti-crime publicity materials and gift packs containing rice dumplings to the elderly to raise their crime prevention awareness and celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.

On the other hand, NTS worked in collaboration with the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association, a charitable organisation in Hong Kong that offers 24-hour personal caring and emergency assistance services to the elderly, to invite local artistes Mr Liu Kai-chi and Ms Nancy Sit to record crime prevention messages for the elderly. The voice messages covered the modus operandi of fraudsters, tips for preventing telephone and street deception as well as the "Anti-Scam Helpline 18222" operated by the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre. The messages will be made available to all the 80 000 users of the "Personal Emergency Link Service" in Hong Kong in the third and fourth quarters this year.

In addition, NTS officers run crime prevention seminars regularly for staff and volunteers of the "Personal Emergency Link Service" to inform them of the latest crime prevention information so that they can help the Police get the messages across to the elderly users in a professional manner and make prompt referrals to the Police if necessary.