The watch scheme, which encourages villagers to keep their eyes open for crime and come forward with information for the police, has paid off as a result of their co-operation. With the help of a village representative of the Tong Fuk Village, Mr Danny Chan, in promoting the NWS among his fellow villagers, Lantau South Division (LTSDIV) earlier in the year arrested six women illegal immigrants and a couple for assisting their illegal entries, as well as two male two-way permit holders for "possessing instruments fit for unlawful purposes".

As a gesture of his appreciation of community support for the NWS, LTDIST Commander Keith Chau recently called at the Lantau South Rural Committee and presented a Force plaque to Mr Chan.

Mr Chau thanked members of the rural committee for actively supporting the NWS over the past 22 months, and in particular Mr Chan for helping fight crime.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Mr Chan praised the joint effort of the police and villagers in fighting crime. "Maintaining law and order is not the responsibility of the police only; the public also have a role to play," he noted.

The brainchild of Lantau South Divisional Commander Matthew Lau, the NWS was rolled out in August 2003 on trial in four villages, namely Tai Long Wan, Pui O Sun Wai, Cheung Sha Sheung Tsuen and Tong Fuk.

During the first 12 months of the trial period, officers from LTSDIV, DIS LTDIST, PCRO LTDIST and RCPO NTN conducted road shows in the villages to educate the villagers on the crime trends, common modus operandi and crime prevention measures. Feedback reported a positive drop in crime rates in those "participating" villages in the wake of this activity.

Following a review conducted in August 2004, the NWS was extended to all villages in LTSDIV, and village representatives were invited to promote the scheme among their villagers.

As well as road shows, LTSDIV uniformed officers also paid "home visits" to villagers, reassuring the local communities that the police are doing their best in fighting crime. During the visits, each household was given a NWS package containing crime prevention leaflets and a magnet of the NWS hotline 6148-0751, which is manned on a 24-hour basis. Villagers were encouraged to alert the police of any suspicious persons or activities via the hotline or 999. CIP Lau pointed out that given its large geographical area, long coastline and other duty commitments, it was essential for LTSDIV to promote the NWS. "We're passing useful crime prevention advice so as to protect them from crime. At the same time we hope that they would help us by simply making a phone call!" he noted.

Home security equipment is introduced at a "Neighbourhood Watch Scheme" road show