The children, mainly from Nepal, Pakistan and India, are participating in not only various recreational activities provided for JPC members in general, but also those tailor-made for them by the PCRO. The tailor-made activities include coaching in Chinese Kung Fu by an inspector of the Force and a tutorial class in English, conducted by a Nepalese teacher.

Speaking on the background to the recruitment of ethnic minority children as JPC members, Yau Tsim District's Police Community Relations Officer, Mr Lau Chi-pui, said the recruitment started in July 2002 as one of the District's efforts to forge a closer relationship, communication and mutual understanding with ethnic minority communities.

"With the increase in the populations of the ethnic minority communities in Yau Tsim District in recent years, we see the need to extend JPC activities to their children to assist them in integrating with the local community. My staff have been working hard for this objective since 2002 with the help of voluntary agencies, social workers, school principals and teachers, as well as the voluntary agency for ethnic minorities, the 'Unison Hong Kong-for Ethnic Equality'. We'll continue recruiting more ethnic minority children, hopefully with the support of their community leaders," Mr Lau added.

Mr Lau's assistant, Sergeant Chan Tak-keung, pointed out that the ethnic minority JPC members appeared to be more and more interested in JPC activities. "Some are so interested that they've brought their friends or schoolmates along to our activities. And they are also getting along very well with other JPC members," he noted.

Turning to policing of ethnic minorities, Mr Lau said his District had accorded priority to the work and in 2003 set an operational target of improving the services provided to ethnic minorities.

"The District management feels that it's time to actively engage ethnic minorities in dialogue so as to gain a better understanding of their aspirations, cultures and traditions, and to establish channels of communication for feedback. For these objectives, the District management, including the District Commander and the Assistant District Commander (Crime), as well as staff of PCRO YTDIST, hold regular meetings with ethnic minority community leaders to discuss matters of mutual concern," Mr Lau noted.

Besides the District management, Mr Lau also maintains close liaison with ethnic minority community leaders, attends meetings of the "Ethnic Minority Working Group" of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council, as well as meetings of the Kowloon Mosque and Islamic Centre to render advice and assistance on all matters, including crowd control at their popular festivals.

To better equip frontline officers for their work concerning the ethnic minorities in Yau Tsim District, Mr Lau has obtained the sponsorship of Lions Clubs International District 303 Hong Kong and Macao and Lions Club of Castle Peak to run a six-month course on Urdu, a language spoken by the ethnic minority groups, for the officers.

The Initiation Ceremony of the language course was held at Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station on March 31, with Regional Commander of Kowloon West, Mr Lee Ka-chiu, the District Governor of Lions Clubs International District 303, Mr Tony Chan, and the President of Lions Club of Castle Peak, Mr Dandy Liu, officiating.

In his speech, Mr Lee said that with about 9,000 people of Nepalese, Pakistani and Indian origins living and working in Yau Tsim District, there was a need to strengthen communication with them by breaking down the language barrier so as to win their trust and support. "We are, therefore, running a project to provide frontline officers with some basic training in Urdu to enhance their communication ability. We've chosen Urdu because it is a common language for Nepalese, Pakistani and Indians," he added.

Mr Lee pointed out that non-governmental organisations serving ethnic minorities are also attending the language course at the invitation of the Yau Tsim District. "The course will also provide an opportunity for the Police and NGOs to share and exchange experience in serving the ethnic minorities," he noted.

Also speaking at the Initiation Ceremony, both Mr Tony Chan and Mr Dandy Liu praised the Yau Tsim District for running the language course, which, they said, was worthy of support by their clubs. They pointed out that the course would promote racial harmony, which coincides with the objective of Lions Clubs International.

Mr Lee Ka-chiu presents a souvenir to Mr Tony Chan