Production of this training package was made possible by a small group of officers who shared their experiences in anti-pickpocket operations and took part in the production work.

Commenting on his district's initiative, Mong Kok District Commander Sham Wai-kin said: "Within the Force, we're fortunate to have a number of seasoned officers who are very experienced in tackling pick pocketing and other street crimes involving similar modus operandi. True to the spirit of a learning organisation, we've invited these officers to impart their experiences for the benefit of their colleagues. The required information has been consolidated into a set of training material, which, it is intended, will assist frontline officers in planning and carrying out anti-pickpocket operations."

Speaking of the joint production work, Senior Force Training Officer Yeung Fu-yiu described it as "a clear manifestation" of the close partnership between the Police College and Police districts, through which frontline officers' training needs are met in a timely fashion. He asserted: "The Force is an organisation of excellence. To equip officers for the challenges of a rapidly changing society, we are dedicated to delivering quality and professional training to them."

Upon conclusion of the production work, Chief Inspector Lee Kiu-ki, from MKDIST, who was the executive producer, expressed his gratitude to the cast and technical staff. "The idea of this project was mooted during an experience-sharing session. The production would not have been possible without the help of other Formations and legal advice from the Department of Justice. I would also like to thank CIP LTECH Yip Kai-hung, from the Police College, for his technical advice. I'm very impressed with the teamwork and professionalism displayed by my colleagues during the location shooting and post-production work," he said.

CIP Lee's producer was Senior Inspector Ng Ka-wang, OC Task Force MKDIST. SIP Ng emphasized: "The anti-pickpocket skills shown in the video are the invaluable experiences accumulated over the years. The skills should be a great help to frontline officers!"

Station Sergeant Man Tat-fai, from PSU MKDIST, was picked to write the screenplay because of his knowledge of anti-pickpocket tactics and thieves' common ploys.

"Writing the script was quite a challenge because of my limited knowledge of video production. On one hand the script has to be informative and able to show the anti-theft tactics systematically, and on the other hand the video has to be interesting enough to capture the attention of the audience. If the video gets a good rating from the audience, the credit should go to the cast and their improvised engaging dialogue," he noted.

Playing an old hand pickpocket, Detective Police Constable Cheung Kwong-ki, from DVIT MKDIST, exposed all the tricks in the video. He also played a second role as a veteran police officer offering tips on anti-pickpocket skills.

"Though I was a winner in a drama competition in the Police Training School more than 20 years ago, this is the first time I've acted in a video produced professionally. While I was given a full script, I was also given a lot of flexibility and allowed to spice it up with improvisations. I was able to get into the role quickly because I have come face to face with a lot of pickpockets in the past," he said.

Playing a supporting role in the video, Sergeant Lam Chun-hung, from PSU 5 TSTDIV, said: "Tsim Sha Tsui is a shopping area teeming with a lot of tourists of various nationalities and races. It's also hunting ground for pickpockets from all around the world. This means we've to cast our net wider and be more alert. As long as we know their tricks, they can't pull wool over our eyes!"

Woman Police Constable Ki Ki, also from PSU MKDIST, was handpicked to play the role of a rookie in the video because of her involvement in the many successful anti-pickpocket operations led by SSGT Man. Apart from acting, she also assisted in production work and script-writing.

CSP Sham plans to distribute the training package to all police districts prior to the upcoming Golden Week holiday in May this year. "We welcome comments and feedback on this teaching material, and hope to continue sharing valuable experiences via the Knwledge Management portal on POINT," he noted.

Enquiries about the package can be directed to SIP Ng Ka-wang on 2398-6325.

An anti-pickpocket workshop in progress

• English version only