Attached to the Criminal Records Bureau's Identification Sub-Unit (IDSU), Mr Yik, together with two colleagues, is responsible for drawing sketches of wanted persons and stolen properties from witnesses' descriptions. In his spare time, he also uses his artistic talent to help fellow officers design publicity materials.

"I love my job very much," the 35-year-old Police Constable told OffBeat. "I derive great satisfaction, especially when I have produced sketches that match the information provided by crime victims."

With the advance of technology, the Force has installed the Artificial Intelligence Crime Analysis and Management System, which enables officers, guided by victims, to quickly compose drawings of a suspect's face. However, this computerised system can never replace the work of the three-member IDSU in difficult cases. The sketches drawn by Force Artists have proved to be more satisfactory, and have a higher standard, especially in serious crime cases.

Since May 2001, Mr Yik has drawn dozens of sketches of wanted persons and more than 500 sketches of stolen properties.

Good interviewing skills

To get a sketch of a wanted person, Mr Yik has to talk to witnesses or victims of crimes in all sorts of cases, ranging from robbery to rape. In some cases, he and his colleagues, armed with simple drawing materials, have to visit hospitalised victims to get first-hand information.

He said: "Sometimes, it is quite difficult to get victims to recall what have happened to them, and to reflect on something they really want to forget. As a result, you've to use your interviewing skills.

"During the interview, I have to win their trust, and encourage them to talk. And I have to care about their feelings throughout the entire process. Very often, victims were so badly hurt, both physically and psychologically, that they were reluctant to talk despite our repeated encouragement. This was quite frustrating for me!"

Most challenging tasks

What kind of sketches poses a most difficult job? Mr Yik put it to drawing sketches of faces without apparent features and foreigners.

He said: "To ensure that our sketches match the suspects, we're used to examining the faces of people from different races. We look at their facial features even when we are walking in the street."

Drawing sketches of stolen properties requires Mr Yik to catch up with the trend of fashionable items, valuable watches and jewellery.

"Most stolen items are jewels. Whether they are expensive is out of the question. The key point is that they may have somethings which are unique, such as a special design, a limited edition with a serial number or carrying the victims' names. Apart from jewellery, I have drawn stretches of guns, safes, or even card-readers of ETC machines."

Mr Yik's sketches stood up to the challenge of the defence at the District Court in 2002 when he testified how he had drawn a robbery suspect's sketch.

He recalled: "When I walked into the courtroom, I was astonished to find the defendant look almost exactly like the sketch I drew. I was really amazed that the victim memorised every detail of the robber so well, helping me produce such a perfect sketch."

A volunteer cartoonist

Apart from his job, Mr Yik has been helping fellow officers from different regions and formations with his artistic talent since 1994. He uses his spare time to draw cartoons for posters and souvenirs to disseminate fight crime messages to the public. His drawings also featured in district road safety campaigns, anti-street scam publicity materials and even in OffBeat.

Over the years, Mr Yik has built up his own style in drawing cartoons - police officers with big eyes and in high spirit. His works are well known among his friends and colleagues. Even his nine-year-old son can now recognise his father's artistic works and cartoons.

When he was a junior secondary student, Mr Yik was fond of reading Japanese comics and sketched his favourite cartoon characters. Later on, his drawing talent was recognised by his classmates and teachers and called upon to help out with exhibitions for school open days.

Prior to joining the IDSU, Mr Yik had served in Wan Chai Division, Police Tactical Unit, Traffic Hong Kong Island and North Point Police Station. He was selected to work as a Force Artist after passing a drawing test in 2001.

"Being a beat patrol officer, a traffic policeman or a Force Artist requires different skills. I enjoy my work very much and I will continue to brush up my skills to do a better job," he concluded.

Force Artist Yik Yiu-wai has built up his own style in cartoon drawing

Mr Yik speaks of the challenges of his job