West Kowloon Region organised the carnival with the aim of strengthening communication between frontline police officers and youngsters. The event also marked the launching of a pilot project "Rapport" organised by EU KW and Sir Ellis Kadoorie Secondary School. The project, running from November 2005 to early May 2006, is aimed at disseminating messages of fighting youth crime to non-Chinese ethnic students and promoting their understanding of local culture. It is hoped that they, through participating in training on discipline and foot drill with police officers, would develop their team spirit, self-discipline, self-esteem and commitments to society.

The idea of strengthening communication between police officers and young non-Chinese ethnic persons originated from the Public Relation Strategy of Kowloon West Region. As more non-Chinese ethnic students are involved in youth crimes, such as wounding and fighting, a group of officers from EU KW have been organising outdoor activities and cultural exchanges with schools, with the objective of helping the students integrate into society. The interaction between the officers and students also helps boost mutual understanding, present the positive image of the Force, and encourage the youngsters to approach the police if they are in troubles.

To improve frontline officers' knowledge of the ethnic minorities, EU KW has formed a small team to plan and co-ordinate related activities, including exhibitions, talks by guests, visits, and friendly exchanges. The preparatory team also uses the reading room at the EU KW Base to display information on the cultures, customs and taboos of non-Chinese ethnic groups, etc. EU KW has also invited representatives from the Race Relations Unit of Home Affairs Bureau to conduct talks to their officers.

With the assistance of the Home Affairs Bureau and Hong Kong Christian Service (Project South Asians Support Alliance), the team successfully rolled out their programme in September. It is using the slogan of the Living-the-values Workshops 2005, "Building a Caring Workforce", as the theme of their activities.

Chief Superintendent Jawaid Khan is firmly behind EU KW officers' efforts to bring ethnic minority students to their fold