Forty-eight officers have brushed up their skills in handling juvenile delinquency at different posts, after attending the 7th Police Attachment to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) Training Programme, which came to a successful conclusion on June 20.

The programme was jointly organised by the Police College and the Department of Applied Social Sciences of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University for junior inspectors and junior police officers to enhance their skills in handling juvenile delinquency. During the programme, the trainees were attached to different NGOs and attended lectures at the university. All of them find the programme very useful, and are impressed with what they have observed and studied during the programme.

Besides attachment to the NGOs, the programme trainees conducted on-the-spot researches and submitted written reports.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the programme, Police College Director Robin Tse Shu-chun pointed out that the Force accords a high priority to the problem of juvenile delinquency. The attachment programme, he added, provided a very good opportunity for officers to interact with social workers and teenagers at risk, in an open environment, through attachment and related activities. It also helped officers gain a better understanding of the multi-agency approach to tackling juvenile delinquency.

At the ceremony, one of the trainees, Senior Inspector Ng Ching-no from the Task Force Sub-unit in Tsing Yi Division, thanked the professors and lecturers of the university for providing theoretical training before their attachment to the NGOs.

SIP Ng said the programme had provided an opportunity for officers to explore the problem of juvenile delinquency from different perspectives. "Most importantly, officers can interact with social workers, teachers and teenagers at risk, clarify misunderstanding and project a positive image of the Force, helping forge a better working relationship in the future," she added.

A total of 260 officers ranking from police constable to senior inspector participated in the NGO attachment programme in the past years. The NGOs participating in the programme this year include YWCA, Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service, YMCA, Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong, Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Children and Youth Services, and Caritas - Hong Kong.

Programme trainees and social workers pitch in to persuade youngsters to stay away from drugs