Officers have been helping to enforce the Education Ordinance under which the Department has no power in laying summonses.

The joint Police/ED working group, which was set up in June and has since met three times, agreed that Police, co-ordinated by Support Branch, would continue to assist enforcing the Education Ordinance until the Department set up an enforcement team and could enforce the ordinance independently.

To better use resources and expedite the prosecution process, Department inspectors will gather evidence at law-breaking schools and pass it to Police for prosecution.

Superintendent Field Support Law Cheuk-hung said: "The working group has also agreed Police will enhance the Department's capability of enforcing the ordinance through workshops and assisting the Department to compile an operation manual.

"We will also consider making arrangements to enable Department officers to attend courses on interviewing technique, statement taking and other areas."

Mr Law said Police would continue to lay summonses on behalf of the Department.

But although the Force would not take the initiative to effect enforcement action against unregistered schools, it would continue to assist under special circumstances upon the Department's request.

A large-scale joint Police/ED operation against over-enrolled kindergartens was mounted in June in which 15 schools were visited and 185 summonses were laid.




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