He replaced the then Police Public Relations Branch (PPRB) Senior Superintendent Lau Yip-shing as Chairman of the Public Relations and Publicity Working Group, which was one of the nine working groups set up to map out the policing operation for HKMC. By the time Mr Cheung took over the helm, his working group had been sitting for about six months.

During an interview with the Psychological Services Group (PSG) and the Staff Relations Group, Mr Cheung recounted how he discharged his duties before, during and after HKMC.

From the very outset, Mr Cheung was well aware that given the media's intense interest in HKMC, one of the challenges for him was facilitating coverage of HKMC by both the local and international media, as well as satisfying their thirst for information about the policing operation for HKMC.

While his predecessor had already made a good start with the work of the Public Relations and Publicity Working Group, there still remained a lot for Mr Cheung to follow up before finalising a comprehensive PR strategy.

Steep learning curve

"As Chairman of the Working Group, my learning curve was very steep. I had to digest all sorts of information about HKMC; monitor media reports, both local and overseas, every day; and keep myself updated on the progress of the work of the other eight working groups," said Mr Cheung when he recalled his stressful job.

All that self-learning and updating was vital for Mr Cheung because of the local and overseas media's interest in HKMC. Well before HKMC started, he was busy assisting Chief Superintendent PPRB in handling a great number of media enquiries, as well as enquiries by local and overseas pressure groups. At the same time, he also provided lines-to-take for PPRB Newsroom staff, and personally handled such enquiries. On top of all these, he also handled enquiries by the media or other parties about the work of the other eight working groups.

Turning to the subject of his working group, Mr Cheung pointed out that as HKMC was to be held in Hong Kong for the first time, there was a lack of experience of policing a similar international event he could draw on a reference. "As such, members of my Working Group looked at and researched into similar experiences overseas. They set clear objectives and directions, as well as milestones for the task they had been assigned with. They explored all options, contributed their input, reached a consensus and finally came up with a balanced package," he noted.

Preparation comes into play

After HKMC started and as demonstrations gathered momentum, Mr Cheung's preparation work came into play and enabled him to get his job done. Again he was busy executing PR strategies and assisting media representatives in covering HKMC. Throughout HKMC, he assisted CSP PPRB in giving regular or impromptu news conferences and media briefings. On many occasions, he also personally handled many such events.

After HKMC was concluded, Mr Cheung could hardly call it a day. On the contrary, he was again busy handling more media enquiries on police actions taken during HKMC. In a bid to dispel misunderstanding and incorrect media reports, he led media representatives to Police Tactical Unit Headquarters to see a demonstration of the equipment the police had used during HKMC. "The visit gave media representatives a better idea of the principles and logic behind police actions and use of minimum force," he said.

He stressed that throughout HKMC, the Force was very sincere in assisting media representatives and fully respected their right to information. "While the Force has a set of well-defined guidelines for handling media enquiries, every officer on the beat is an 'ambassador' for police-media relationship, and the way he or she handles the media will have a bearing on that relationship."

This is how Mr Cheung sees his participation in the HKMC operation: "I'm proud to have taken part in the operation and it was also a very meaningful job for me. I think those who were involved in the operation either directly or indirectly have benefitted in terms of knowledge, expertise and experience. Therefore, it's a good thing to encourage officers to seize the opportunity to participate in major operations one way or the other. Having taken part in a major operation like HKMC, it is a fond memory to cherish."

Comments by PSG

From previous experiences in large-scale operations, comments by the media and the public could be both a stressor and a morale-booster to police officers. To turn this stressor into morale-booster, as Mr Cheung said, every frontline police officer could act as a "media ambassador" and take a broader perspective on police-media relations. As a "media ambassador", officers need to remain objective to the roles of the media. As Mr Cheung has suggested, officers should avoid being unnecessarily defensive but instead adopt a sincere attitude and follow the existing Force policy while handling the media encountered during their course of duties. Besides, we particularly appreciate Mr Cheung's wisdoms in the face of new challenges when taking up the responsibilities on public relations and publicity strategy for HKMC after returning from the Aviation Security Company.

Positive beliefs

Mr Cheung took every new challenge as a golden opportunity to acquire new knowledge and experience. He was also convinced that with efforts and proper strategies, and the courage to learn from mistakes, any problems could be resolved.

Importance of teamwork

Mr Cheung understood that good teamwork was absolutely essential to any large-scale operation. He made an effort to set common goals with his working group members, create an atmosphere of open communication and particularly encourage members to be innovative and supportive to each other. These are the elements of an effective leadership.

For SSP Cheung, every beat PC is an "ambassador" for pushing police community relations forward