Police Headquarters Senior Inspector Simon Southgate spent a recent weekend roughing it, volunteering his free time to help some troubled youths taking part in Operation Breakthrough. Here, he offers OffBeat readers a first-hand look at the programme.

With Operation Breakthrough causing a stir of late, I decided to see the programme for myself and took off to Tai Mei Tuk to offer my services for the weekend of January 19 to 21.

The concept seemed straightforward - take a group of youth offenders and put them through a three-day leadership and confidence course. Police volunteers show the youths the errors of their ways, convince them there are other options and that crime does not pay!

The challenging programme almost resembled a Specialist Unit Selection. The boys completed three days of extended-interview style command tasks, abseiled, hill hiked, boxed, had phobia tests and took part in water jumps.

Many officers would find this course demanding, let alone 14 to 17-year-old boys, many of whom were out of shape. Great emphasis was placed on teamwork, self-discipline and communication. Right from the start the boys took responsibility for their actions and were encouraged to talk about their problems.

Along with all the physical elements of the course, the programme included interviews with social workers and discussion groups, during which the boys openly discussed their backgrounds.

Being involved with Breakthrough was an incredibly rewarding experience, and I recommend others give up a little of their time to take part. When you hear the hardships these boys have gone through, you cannot help but sympathise. They are not beyond help, they just need a good role model, somebody they can trust and confide in, and someone who can show them the right path. Breakthrough provided just that, and accomplished much more. It helped to breakdown many of the barriers between disenchanted youths and police. Before the course, most of these boys regarded police with suspicion and disdain, but afterwards the boys' faith was restored, sharing jokes, posing for photos and swapping phone numbers and email addresses with the officers.

Some have argued this type of programme was not a Force responsibility. I believe very differently. I believe Breakthrough is a good example of proactive community policing. By setting a positive example to these boys now, there was a good chance we were preventing problem youths from becoming hardened adult criminals. Parents attending the closing ceremony could not believe the transformation in their boys, and were very grateful. This was very satisfying.

The programme has had great success in New Territories North, receiving valuable support from a number of senior officers. A number of officers gave up their weekends to staff Breakthrough and to help its success, working long hours in challenging and difficult circumstances. They offered sound advice to the boys and really gained their trust. They were a credit to the Force and set a shining example to the boys, the majority of whom were experiencing a few problems and just need to be steered back on the right track.

Officers interested in volunteering a weekend to take part in a Breakthrough exercise and help our youngsters, can contact B.J. Smith on 2666-4207.



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