One of them won the top honour of the year - Good Citizen Year Award, while the rest, comprising 37 men and three women, received the Good Citizen Award.

The Good Citizen Award Presentation Ceremony is organised by the Police Public Relations Branch twice a year with sponsorship from the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC).

Mr Tse Kin-fai, winner of the Good Citizen Year Award, helped a woman chase after a man after he had snatched a mobile phone and attacked her with a cutter near the MTR Shau Kei Wan Station on November 28, 2004. Mr Tse was injured in the hand and neck in subduing the man.

The man was later sentenced to a total of 52 months' imprisonment for robbery and assault with intent to resist lawful apprehension.

For his brave acts, Mr Tse was presented with a plaque and a cash prize of $3,000. Each of the Good Citizen Award winners was presented with a certificate and a cash prize of $2,000.

Officiating at the presentation ceremony, Commissioner Lee Ming-kwai commended the award recipients for their courage and commitment to society. He noted that without their help, some criminals might still be at large and continue to commit crimes.

"They have set good examples for other citizens of Hong Kong," he added.

Other officiating guests were the CEO of HKGCC, Dr Eden Woon, and a member of the Fight Crime Committee, Mr Clement Tao Kwok-lau.

Dr Woon said: "We have sponsored this award scheme since 1973, and surely we will continue our support to this meaningful activity."

Also speaking at the ceremony, Mr Tao noted that the full support and co-operation of Hong Kong citizens were most crucial in fighting and preventing crime.

An award recipient, Mr Luk Chi-nam, assisted the police in arresting a man who snatched a woman's handbag after hitting her head with a hammer outside the KCR Mong Kok Station on November 9, 2004. The victim was seriously injured and stayed in hospital for 39 days.

The man was later sentenced to six years' imprisonment for robbery.

Another award recipient, Mr Gerard Joseph Pahl, helped his neighbours catch two burglars.

In the late afternoon of October 23, 2005, Mr Pahl saw a couple, living in the neighbourhood, chasing after and shouting at two men who had broken into their house at Surfside Villa, Tuen Mun. He joined the chase on a bicycle and when the men tried to escape on board a public light bus, he stopped the bus with his bicycle. The pair then climbed out of the vehicle and fled towards a shopping arcade but was intercepted by the husband. The men were later charged with burglary.

With the help of the award recipients, around 40 culprits were arrested for a variety of offences, including wounding, robbery, indecent assault and blackmail.

The good citizens have helped arrest 40 culprits