| |
|
THE recent Yangtze River floods have
devastated lives in the mainland and left millions of people homeless. The Police Training
School, in support of the Force-wide campaign to raise funds to bring relief to the flood
victims, organised a concert under the drill shed of PTS on the evening of Friday 18
September.
The two-and-a-half-hour concert/variety show was a great success, raising $213,361.80 in donations. That's more than double the original target of $100,000! Over 2,000 people (including staff, trainees, their friends and relatives), attended the at times emotional concert that saw both guests and performers dig deep into their pockets and open their hearts to the epic struggle of the flood victims that was depicted in film footage shown on a big screen. The concert began with Music Director Philip Ng appealing to all the participants to give generously, then offered guests the opportunity to try their hand at conducting the Police Band - for a minimum donation of $200. There were lots of takers, especially among PTS staff and trainees who rushed at the chance to get photographed conducting the Band. Some trainees even sponsored their respective course instructors to the stand - often with hilarious results. |
 Fun events like conducting the Police Band for a minimum donation of $200, proved to be a big moneymaker at the Police concert/variety show which moved the donation barometer ever northwards
|
|
The donation barometer shot up by $30,000.
Other highlights of the evening included an upbeat and also uplifting performance by the Police Band and its Pipes and Drums corps; a powerful sword dance from the Auxiliary Police Band, songs from the Hong Kong Police Choir, as well as highly entertaining skits and energetic Kung Fu demonstrations from PTS staff and trainees. A Cantonese Opera performed by the Hong Kong Chinese Ensemble and a PTS cast was a big crowd-pleaser and won much applause from the floor. Meanwhile, collection teams led by a piper moved through the crowd happily accepting donations which were deposited in an empty distilled water jug. The concert was brought to a peak at 10pm when PTS Commandant Wong Doon-yee announced that the donation target had been far surpassed with over $200,000 collected on the night. Exhilarated, all present joined hands and sang Auld Lang Syne. All participants should feel proud of themselves, including the PTS trainees who gave up their dinner that evening to contribute what they would have spent on their meals to the fund; the Police Shooting Club which generously donated $40,000; and Lau Hon-wah, the Honourable President of the PTS JPO Staff Club, who donated $20,000. | |
FLASH!!! Police Motoring Club raises $200,200 for the Mainland Flood Disaster Relief Fund during its Charity Treasure Hunt event on Sunday, 20 September. Read all about it in the next issue of OFFBEAT. |
| |
 WPC Fung (left) and PCRO Li Hong-man (right) with other Eastern officers: "We are presently reviewing the effectiveness of the campaign and planning future projects" |
EVER since the launch of the Fight Crime and
Anti-Drugs Campaign by the Action Committee on Youth Involvement in Crime whose
members include police as well as personnel from volunteer agencies and selected secondary
schools in Eastern District, many police officers have continued to volunteer their own time
providing guidance to youths-at-risk and helping them to get to know Hong Kong Police better.
Said Police Community Relations Officer, Eastern District, Li Hong-man: "Through a variety of activities, we get to know these youngsters and try to steer them away from drugs and criminal behaviour by setting good examples, explaining the law to them and what they can expect if they ever commit a crime. During the recent school summer break, we arranged for them to tour local correctional facilities and rehabilitation centres for drug addicts." |
|
According to WPC Fung Hau-yee, one of the volunteer officers, many of her "Clients" were teenagers from broken families in need of care and direction: "I am also personally enriched by participating in this project. It gives me a better understanding of today's young people." The Fight Crime and Anti-Drugs Campaign involved the distribution of information pamphlets to students in Eastern District. In addition, Junior Police Call members from the district were taken on a tour of Pan Yu in Guangdong for an exchange of experiences with their mainland counterparts. Said Mr Li: "We are presently reviewing the effectiveness of the campaign and planning future projects. Since we are not professional social workers, it would be better if seminars could be held to improve our skills in dealing with youths." Apart from providing guidance to youths-at-risk, officers have also been showing they care by regularly visiting the district's elderly (many of whom are alone and lonely) and entertaining them with Chinese music and opera, as well as accompanying them on hospital visits. "One might think that these are not directly related to police work," said Mr Li. "However, by doing something good for needy members of the community, we are actually doing something very meaningful in our leisure time. To me that's what the Force's healthy lifestyle campaign is all about." | |
