Amid the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), frontline police officers have remained steadfast in their duties, providing staunch support to the Government in anti-epidemic work. In addition, 70 serving officers mainly working at backend from the Police Headquarters and 130 retired police officers have volunteered to join and set up a 200-strength Police Anti-coronavirus Contingent to offer a helping hand. Force members stay united in the fight against the epidemic, fully demonstrating their commitment to serving Hong Kong.

Director of the Hong Kong Police College Cheung Ching said, "Regular officers of the contingent are mainly responsible for assisting the Civil Aid Service (CAS) in the management of Lei Yue Mun Park Quarantine Centre. Meanwhile, retired officers are stationed at Shenzhen Bay Port, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port and the Hong Kong International Airport to assist people entering Hong Kong from the Mainland to put on an electronic wristband to help monitor their compliance in staying at their reported dwelling places. Another batch of retired officers from the contingent also assist at a Call Centre every day in making telephone calls to people under quarantine to ask them to share their real-time locations and conduct video calls through their registered phone number. Police retirees also join hands with volunteers from other disciplined services to work at a laundry area of a public hospital to pack patients' washed clothes and bed sheets; on occasions, police retirees took up urgent tasks such as urgent turn out to assist in the preparatory work prior to the set-up of the quarantine centre at Chun Yeung Estate."

Ms Cheung added, "After finishing the duties at the quarantine centre, regular officers need to return to their office on the following day to handle daily work. On the other hand, retired officers receive no remuneration. Their selfless dedication has demonstrated their love for Hong Kong and their keen support of the Force and Hong Kong society in fighting the epidemic." Commencing March 8 onwards, regular officers from the contingent have also given additional assistance to the CAS by assisting them at the Heritage Lodge of the Jao Tsung-I Academy Quarantine Centre.

When the Force started to recruit volunteers for the contingent, Ronald, who has retired from the Force for more than two years, applied at once. He is currently stationed at Shenzhen Bay Port to assist people entering Hong Kong from the Mainland, who have no smart phones, to wear electronic wristbands. While the task may seem easy, it can also be quite time-consuming. Ronald once spent more than an hour to complete the whole process. He said, "As the majority of those coming to Hong Kong from the Mainland are elderly people, we have to patiently explain the relevant legal requirements and teach them how to use the smart phone and the electronic wristband."

Ronald added, "Retired officers perform duty at Shenzhen Bay Port from 6.30am to midnight every day and each shift lasts for about eight to nine hours. Including the travelling time, it takes almost 13 hours for the retirees to take up the voluntary work. Although we have retired, we will not hesitate to offer a helping hand whenever the Force needs our assistance. Some colleagues who have retired for more than 20 years have also joined the contingent to support the Force". He vividly remembered that on February 14, the Valentine's Day, before breaking dawn and that day with a light drizzle, a few police retirees from the contingent had already left home early in darkness and proceeded to Shenzhen Bay to help the set-up.

On the other hand, regular officers have been rendering assistance to CAS at Lei Yue Mun Park Quarantine Centre between 7am and 9pm from Mondays to Sundays. The officers assist in distributing meals and supplies to quarantined persons, allocating resources within the centre, escorting quarantined persons between their rooms and the medical station, and assisting in controlling vehicular movement at the centre. Some of the officers shared with OffBeat their experiences of working at the centre.

Police volunteers are required to wear protective gear in the quarantine centre. As they have to deliver supplies on foot from time to time, they are always dripping with sweat. Ah Ling said, "I appreciate the endurance of our colleagues. Many of them avoid drinking water and only take off their protective gear during lunch time. Although they can take turns to rest for a while, many of them prefer to stay on standby at the dirty zone so as to avoid taking off the protective gear and to save resources."

To ensure quarantined persons can enjoy hot food, police volunteers endeavour to deliver meals as quickly as possible and they only take a short break after completing the work. Dilys said, "When a family left the quarantine centre, they sent us a text message in appreciation of our assistance and care. This is very heart-warming and encouraging."

Apart from performing routine duties, police volunteers also strive to cater for different needs of quarantined persons. Fanny recalled, "To celebrate the birthday of their child, a couple therein asked a friend to send a cake to the quarantine centre. Fearing that the cake would melt, we wasted no time in delivering the cake to their room. The family greatly appreciated our efforts."

Ah Kwan said, "Some quarantined persons may have negative emotions. When I deliver meals to their rooms, I would take the opportunity to show my care to them. If I am not very busy, I would chat with them and listen to their needs."

Janet said, "Given the large size of the quarantine centre, medical personnel and CAS members need to walk to different locations to perform their duties, which is both exhausting and time-consuming. In order to facilitate their work, we have offered to use a golf car to give them a ride."

Michael said, "While the quarantine centre is managed by the CAS, police volunteers can render assistance and support to enhance work efficiency. Personnel of both sides have also strengthened mutual understanding through close cooperation. It has been a fulfilling and rewarding experience to take part in anti-epidemic work."

Louis, a Physical Training Instructor from the Police College, has also joined the contingent. "I always remind my trainees of the importance of strengthening physical fitness and willpower. Police officers must have good fitness and strong determination to rise to challenges and serve the community," he said.

Working through the rough times, the Police Anti-coronavirus Contingent and frontline police officers continue to join hands with different sectors of society to win this battle against the epidemic. Retired officers who are interested in joining the contingent may contact the Police College on 2860-4228 for details.