Kitty Siu Wan-yin was one of 19 Probationary Inspectors to attend a seminar on animal welfare and abuse at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) on January 18. Between courses from SPCA inspectors on the enforcement of animal protection legislation and outlines of some of the numerous and sometimes horrific cases of cruelty, Kitty and her colleagues took a few moments to hug some of the Association's cute boarders looking for homes. The seminar was the first ever conducted by the SPCA for Police.

The officers got a first-hand look at some frightening cases of animal cruelty and were briefed on existing legislation and proposals to toughen it in future. The January 18 seminar was the first of its kind conducted for Police by the SPCA and included a tour of its Causeway Bay headquarters. Police Training School Senior Inspector Roger Brooks said the seminar had greatly boosted the officers' awareness of abuse and of their roles in protecting animals.

He said the lectures opened up further possibilities for practical exercises back at the Police Training School classrooms.

"The seminar has been very beneficial to the officers and you could see by their reactions during it that many were not fully aware of how serious the animal cruelty problem is. We hope in future it may also be possible to offer these seminars to Recruit Police Constables as being front-line officers, they will more likely be the ones to first come across these sorts of cases and make these sorts of decisions," SIP Brooks said.

SPCA Executive Director Chris Hanselman told the recruits existing animal welfare legislation was minimal compared to many other countries and it was important for the body's inspectors and Police to work closely to combat cruelty.

Wall of pain: SPCA superintendent Graham Cheng shows a group of PIs some horrific cases of animal abuse in Hong Kong

Mr Hanselman said cruelty cases, particularly those involving illegal sale of animals by hawkers, were festering in some areas of Hong Kong.

He said the SPCA was now appealing through the Judiciary and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, to increase cruelty penalties and more clearly define differences between cases of 'neglect' and 'intent'.

"We are backing this appeal up through studies from overseas which show that children with a history of abusing animals can go on to become criminals or develop violent traits. There was a recent local case of two 10-year-old boys who remorselessly kicked a puppy almost to death.

"We are looking to having our own inspectors gain the power to enter, search, seize and arrest like they do in places like Australia.

"However, whether we can get that I don't know, so until then top co-operation between us and Police is vital."

The seminars came in the wake of a similar series of lessons where a group of SPCA inspectors visited PTS to learn more about the legislation and criminality involved in cruelty cases, the conducting of investigations and the assembling of case files.

Here's what the officers said after getting their claws into some animal welfare facts . . .

Probationary Inspector Kitty Siu Wan-yin: "We've learned a lot about cruelty to animals. There are a lot of cruelty cases which we may not notice everyday and I think we can now pay closer attention to this area and consider it more seriously, along with the rest of our police work. We met some of the animals and after today, I will definitely consider adopting a cat or a dog from the SPCA in future!"

PI Choi Tung-tsoi: "I want to look at how police officers can actually provide more assistance to the SCPA. I think officers lack knowledge in animal welfare and cruelty and it is important for the new generation of Inspectors and Junior Police Officers to have at least a basic knowledge in animal abuse and welfare cases. I hope to pass this knowledge on to my officers in future."



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