38-year-old sergeant “Cheetah” has had a rather atypical policing career. After graduating from secondary school, he applied to join the Force but failed in two attempts. Therefore, he decided to become an entrepreneur instead and set up a logistics company with his friends. Six year had passed, but his yearning to become a police officer did not. Then, the third time is the charm—“Cheetah” was eventually enrolled as a police officer at HKPF.

He said, “When running the logistics company, I met people from different age groups and social strata every day, which helped me become more mature when it came to interacting with different people and stood me in good stead when I attended interviews. However, given my age at that time, I was at a disadvantage in two aspects—my fitness, and the fact that I had left school for years. However, I turned these obstacles into motivation—to gear up for the fitness test, I put myself through targeted training; to prepare for the examination on legislation, I often burned the midnight oil for my revision.”

Eventually, not only did “Cheetah” graduate from Police College, he was even the winner of the Silver Whistle Award. After officially joining the Force, he was posted to departments including the Patrol Sub-unit, Task Force Sub-unit, District Investigation Team and District Anti-Triad Squad. Later on, he was assigned to receive training at the Police Tactical Unit (PTU). Armed with diverse experience gained from working in different posts, coupled with his excellent performance during training, he was selected as the “Best Constable” among the 170 officers attending the course.

After accomplishing his stint at PTU, “Cheetah” applied to join District Investigation Team once again and attended the Standard Criminal Investigation Course. During the training, he applied the skills and experience he had earned while serving in different units in the past. In the end, he was named the “Most Outstanding Constable” among all students in seven classes, making him the one and only winner of all the three titles in the entire Force. Thus, he was recommended by his supervisors to take part in an interview for promotion.

Normally, it takes police constables around 10 to 18 years to get promoted to the rank of sergeant. However, “Cheetah”, who joined the Force at a relatively later stage of his career, rose to the rank of sergeant in just around eight years. Stressing that he has not deliberately planned his career trajectory in the Force, he said, “The Police are a disciplined service. The transfers and promotions of all members are dependent on the decisions made by supervisors in accordance with actual situations. I am just doing my best.”

Two years ago, “Cheetah” tried his hand at a new challenge and successfully passed a rigorous assessment to join the Counter Terrorism Response Unit (CTRU). He said, “The job nature of CTRU is unique. During operations and training, CTRU members need to work closely with different operational units; while performing daily duties, they need to proactively venture into sensitive and crowded areas to conduct counter-terrorism patrols. In recent years, CTRU has been applying and developing new technologies to facilitate different operations, including the use of drones and fifth-generation (5G) live streaming camera lenses, to further enhance the efficacy of their work.”

The policing career of “Cheetah” has been characterised by his ceaseless drive to equip himself and bravery to embrace different challenges. Having recently obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology, Policing and Forensics with first-class honours from the University of West London, “Cheetah” has already applied to take part in an interview for promotion to the rank of station sergeant. He has a word of advice for everyone interested in policing work—don’t give up on your dreams because of your age and background. He said, “Where there’s a will there’s a way, and if you get fully prepared, you will also stand a chance to join the Force and unleash your potential.”