LB holds drug education programme
at French International
School
At the request of the French Consulate, Liaison Bureau (LB) conducted a drug education programme at the French International School in Hong Kong on March 29.
During the programme, Chief Inspector Paul Edmiston of Wanchai District and Senior Inspector (SIP) Paul Lewis of Narcotics Bureau teamed up with French Law Enforcement Attache, Jean Christophe Marten Perolin, to deliver a series of age-specific presentations to provide the students with knowledge of the different types of drug abuse and drug usage trends in Hong Kong and to raise their awareness of the laws related to legal and illegal drugs. Instead of adopting a "scare tactic" approach, the aim was to present a realistic portrayal of the drug abuse in Hong Kong to help the students come to their own conclusions and believe more firmly in the anti-drugs message.
Station Sergeant John Chang of the Police Dog Unit demonstrated the effectiveness of trained drug-sniffing dogs. As always, the energetic narcotics dogs proved a hit with the students.
SIP Lewis held a forum with parents in the evening, which provided a good opportunity for the parents to raise their own concerns. The event was tailored especially for the French International School and was in line with the Commissioner's Operational Priorities 2011 to adopt a multi-agency and community based approach to promote awareness of, and prevent, drug abuse amongst students.
The presenters were able to engage the students in a frank and open discussion and received positive feedback from the school management. According to SIP Neil Whyte of LB, "The event is a great success and one we will look to build on in partnership with the international schools in Hong Kong," he noted.
SIP
Lewis
giving
a
comprehensive
talk