Soon he, together with some officers from his Division, was off to the school, carrying small gifts, by courtesy of a sponsor who has been supporting Mr Barnes' fund-raising activities for children in need.

The sponsor offered the gifts after Mr Barnes had raised over $500,000 with Chief Inspector Paul Keylock last year for a special school for children, the Watchdog Early Learning and Development Centre in Central.

The Supervisor and Principal of the kindergarten, Ms Kay Yu, was pleased with Mr Barnes' visit and his concern for the future of the school and the interests of the pupils. "His visit is a great opportunity to meet a senior officer up close. We are looking forward to visiting Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station in the near future," said Ms Yu.

In his role as the co-ordinator for ethnic minority policing service in Yau Tsim District, Mr Barnes saw his visit as an ideal opportunity to introduce himself and integrate with the ethnic community right at the grass roots level. "This will not be the last occasion as I have invited the kindergarten 3 children to visit my station in April to further this process," he noted.

YT DIST officers are given a warm welcome by ethnic minority kids