The 14-member delegation comprised students, parents and a teacher who were winners of the "Hang Seng Bank - Help the Police Fight Youth Crime Competition 2002".

The trip offered a rare opportunity for members to understand the day-to-day work of the Kiwi and Aussie police forces, visit premises such as police stations, cells and communication centres and attend seminars.

They were enlightened on the many effective crime prevention measures such as drug-free parties organised for youngsters in Auckland as well as a series of youth-focused programmes in Australia ranging from Constable Victoria in Melbourne and Constable Kenny Koala in Canberra, all of which invariably aimed at instilling in young children a sense of personal safety, alertness against crime and trust of police officers.

The delegation was glad to learn how joint efforts of the police and the local community succeeded in turning a once run-down and crime-prone area in downtown Canberra into a safe and vibrant business district.

In return, the ambassadors did a good job explaining to their hosts the current crime situation in Hong Kong and what was being done to tackle the problem.

Said Ms Julie Lee Ka-yee, a first-year student of the School of Professional and Continuing Education, the University of Hong Kong: "I was really impressed by Canberra's Police Volunteer Programme which see members of the public making use of their spare time to help in Police work."

There was much more than fight crime knowledge to be gained from the trip. In fact, it was a lesson on the history of the aboriginal peoples in New Zealand and Australia and an experience of the multi-culturalism of the two predominantly immigrant countries.

While contemporary rural life in New Zealand as seen in sheep shearing and bottle-feeding of baby lambs was such a stunning experience for the ambassadors, they were also interested in how Chinese workers contributed to the flourishing mining town of Ballarat, near Melbourne, more than a century ago. Coming out of the mines, they could not wait to try their luck in panning for gold!

As far as participants' personal growth was concerned, the tour had a value-added aspect in that they took turns to be leaders to plan the trip and sort out logistics.

The ultimate test of their leadership, team spirit and problem solving skills came during a nighttime city orienteering exercise in Melbourne when they were tasked to find their own way in the city along with a French exchange student.

As Ms Joey Siu Wai-yee, the youngest ambassador, put it: "This trip made me grow-up from a mom and dad's little girl to a youngster capable of taking care of herself."

Inspired by the civic-mindedness of the Kiwis and Aussies, Mr Mathew Li Chi-shing, a teacher, said that he would continue to promote activities organised by the Hong Kong Police Force among his students and offer his full support to the work of Police officers.

The delegation rounded up their tour meeting local media representatives at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Sydney before returning to Hong Kong.