Led by Service Quality Wing Senior Superintendent Ng Suk-fun and Kowloon West Senior Superintendent Chan Wing-hong, eight Superintendents arrived at the CELAP in Shanghai on November 8 to attend the eight-day course. Joining them in the course were 10 officers at the rank of Chief Immigration Officer or above from the Immigration Department, as well as two representatives from the Security Bureau, namely Acting Senior Superintendent Fung Lok-chi (seconded to SB) and Principal Operations and Training Officer of the Civil Aid Service, Mr Cheung Tat-yin.

The CELAP is the cradle for nurturing senior executives cadre of the Central Government. It also provides training for overseas students and senior executives in large enterprises. Its facilities, environment and teaching level are all of, or even above, international standard. All lecturers are either Mainland top professors or specialists in different fields.

The CELAP, the Force and the Immigration Department all attach great importance to this advanced course, which consisted of nine subject seminars and three on-site studies. The course featured three main themes, namely "Implementation of the One Country Two Systems Theory and Its Relationship with the Prosperity and Stability of Hong Kong", "Exploring New Ways of Co-operation between the Law Enforcement Agencies on the Mainland and Hong Kong" and "Scientific Advancement Theory and Harmonious China". Speakers imparted their professional knowledge and practical experience during the three-hour seminars, which were a most fruitful and memorable learning experience for course members. The interactive sessions also stimulated their lateral thinking ability and broadened their perspectives.

The course also included three on-site studies and three discussion forums which aimed at inducing in-depth understanding and analytical assessment of an issue through "listening", "seeing" and "speaking". The course members had on-site studies at the XinTianDi, the JiangXiangCun in Jiangsu Province for village reform, and the Shanghai Town Planning Layout Centre. The on-site studies enabled them to "see" what they had learned from the course. In particular, the developments at JiangXiangCun and Shanghai Town Planning Layout Centre were evidence of the "people-oriented" policy initiated by the government.

All in all, the course not only gave course members a better idea of the developments on the Mainland but also stimulated their thinking and visions on the One Country Two Systems Theory and law enforcement co-operation. Such understanding as well as knowledge of developments on the Mainland, relevant national policies, and the roles to be or can be played by the HKSAR is essential to law enforcement officers of the HKSAR. This aspect will enable the Force to make more contributions to ensuring the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.

The National Studies Course is first run for Hong Kong disciplined officers at intermediate and senior management levels