"My staff used their eyes to observe the protesters' moves, ears to listen to their views, suggestions and requests for assistance, and mouths to communicate with them, and then passed all the necessary information gathered to the Command Post. We also relayed the Command Post's messages to the protestors," said the Police Community Relations Officer of Eastern District, Chief Inspector Lee Wai-ming, who was in charge of liaison work at the Victoria Park DPAA.

CIP Lee was recounting to OffBeat how his staff carried out their roles and the problems and difficulties they encountered, along with five members of his team - Station Sergeant Cheung Wing-wah, Sergeants Wong Yan, Chan Chun-wah and So Kam-wing, and Woman Sergeant Chan Wing-yuen.

CIP Lee said his team worked from 7 am until 11 pm in looking after the arrangements for protesters' processions from Victoria Park to Hung Hing Road in Wan Chai, and escorting the protesters to and fro between Victoria Park and Wan Chai. As well as these jobs, his officers also continued providing community services during HKMC, he added.

The work of CIP Lee's team did not always meet with protest organisers' full co-operation. The team members, therefore, tried their best to obtain the organisers' trust and confidence about the police.

For example, it took the team a lot of explanation and patience to convince the protesters of the need to stagger their departures from Victoria Park in order to avoid causing congestion on the procession routes, as well as "clashing" of departing and returning protesters on the routes.

This approach also worked on December 13 when a group of around 100 Korean women, who headed for Victoria Park straight from the airport to join their fellow protesters in Wan Chai, agreed to delay their departure until the procession route was cleared of congestion.

Hostility towards police

Despite the officers' effort to accommodate protesters' demands as far as possible, some protest organisers still remained hostile towards the police. In the face of this problem, the officers were resourceful enough in finding solutions. SGT Chan, who was assigned to look after protesters from Indonesia and the Philippines, had this to say about his own solution: "When I approached a woman protest organiser from Indonesia and explained we were coming to help her, she yelled at me, accusing me of interfering with her gathering. She was very hostile and refused to talk to me.

"I guessed it was no use reasoning with her, so I looked around to see if there were any other organisers. Eventually I found a man from the Philippines. After learning I really meant to help, he offered co-operation and thereafter for the next few days provided the information I wanted. He even went to the extent of acting as a 'go-between' between the hostile Indonesian lady and me, getting information from her and then passing it to me. I believe I had built up some sort of friendship or trust with this Philippino gentleman!"

Fortunately, some protestors did appreciate what the police did for them. WSGT Chan said she had some nice feelings when Korean women expressed their gratitude after realising she was serious in helping them.

Protestors' personal safety was also a major concern for the police liaison officers.

SGT So said he had to delay the departure of the bus parade by protesters for some time because bunting and banners on the buses were obstructing the view of the drivers. Naturally it took a lot of explanation before they realised the police cared about their safety.

Several months before HKMC started, CIP Lee sent his Police Neighbourhood Co-ordinators to call at banks and shops in Eastern District to provide an update on HKMC. This community effort has earned him a small bonus in terms of police-community relations.

SGT Wong was one of the officers who paid the bank visits. Last month he received a telephone call from a woman bank staff, asking for advice on a questionable payment instruction in an elderly woman's bank account. He immediately referred the case to the Task Force in Chai Wan Division. As a result of this newly established police-bank relationship, the elderly woman was saved from losing $50,000 to a trickster.

Eastern District Commander Peter Morgan has commended CIP Lee and his staff for their performances during HKMC