'Project Eyes and Ears'- TPDIST's initiative
Tai Po District with a population of about 620,000 and a mixture of villages, housing estates and commercial centres, poses various policing challenges. One of these is to fully utilise resources so that optimum results can be achieved in preventing and detecting crime and gaining the support and confidence of the public.
One initiative being undertaken in Tai Po District that also forms part of the District Policing Plan for 2010, is "Project Eyes and Ears". Initiated by Railway District in 2008, and identified as a best practice by the Advisory Group on Engaging the Community, the project seeks to encourage different sectors of the local community to come forward with information for the Police, and to provide a channel for the Police to offer advice on crime prevention.
A common-sense approach
Elaborating on the project, TPDIST Deputy District Commander Lau Yat-hung, who is the Strategic Coordinator of the project, said: "It is essentially a community policing initiative in support of the Commissioner's Operational Priorities as well as all the four Strategic Directions (SD), with particular relevance to the SD of engaging the community and strengthening intelligence gathering.
"The concept of the project is nothing new but a common-sense approach to revitalise the philosophy that in community policing co-operation and communication between the Police and the public remain at the forefront".
Support of local leaders
In a bid to enlist the support of local leaders, TPDIST last month briefed members of the North District Fight Crime Committee on the project, and won their pledge to help push the project forward in the capacity of "Project Champions".
March 22 was a big day for the project when the "Project Champions", accompanied by officers as "Project Coordinators", called on shop owners in Luen Wo Hui, Sheung Shui, to seek their support. The "Champions" were greatly encouraged by a shop owner's comment: "There will be positive outcome from such contact between the police and the public. We all have a responsibility to help fight crime."
Other initiatives of the project are encouraging villagers to install CCTV to prevent crime; patrolling high-rise buildings and providing training in intelligence gathering for officers.
"Project
Eyes
and
Ears"
has had the full support of local community leaders