First police negotiator earns HK Humanity Award
At the presentation ceremony of the Hong Kong Humanity Award 2012 at Kowloon Bay International Trade and Exhibition Centre on May 26, Sham Shui Po Assistant District Commander (Crime) Lau Tat-keung was bestowed with the award, the first police officer to earn such honour for saving over 200 lives in the past 22 years as a police negotiator.
In 2009, a man was successfully talked out of committing suicide by a police negotiator, but two weeks later he killed himself and his two kids with carbon monoxide inside a vehicle. For Mr Lau, this case was an awaking call. "This was a bloody lesson awakening us," he noted.
Since then, a police negotiator's task is not only talking a person out of committing suicide, but also taking further action - sending the person to hospital, where a social worker or a psychiatric doctor can offer timely assistance so that the person would not harm himself or herself again. "We've started using the law on psychiatric health to commit a person to hospital," Mr Lau said.
Internally, police negotiators have organised talks to impart negotiation skills to their colleagues. "For the past 10 years, we've made a great deal of effort in making frontline officers realise how to offer help and how much power they can exercise," Mr Lau added.
Communication with other professions
While trying to save lives on the frontline, Mr Lau continued, police negotiators realise they can hardly "trespass" on the expertise of other professionals, such as social worker's counselling service, psychiatric doctor's treatment and psychologist's training. Police negotiators will refer suicidal persons to, and maintain close liaison with, these experts.
They also have been working closely with the Hospital Authority, the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong and non-government organisations in organising workshops to share experience and knowledge, discuss cases, and stage case demonstrations. One of these strategic partners is the Samaritans Hong Kong.
In addition, as more young persons have committed suicide, police negotiators, since 2008, have worked closely with the Hong Kong Christian Service in offering training courses on dealing with crises on school campuses and sharing with teachers and social workers experience of this aspect as well as seeking assistance and the existing mechanism to help suicidal persons.
Sharing honour
On seeing a poster on the Hong Kong Humanity Award, the Officer-commanding of the Police Negotiation Cadre, Superintendent Wong Kwong-hing, nominated Mr Lau for the award for his long-term contribution to the cadre and his volunteer service.
Mr Lau is modest about winning the award: "The honour for me doesn't belong to me only but also to every member of the cadre. The award is recognition of the efforts the cadre has made over the years, as well as its continuous improvement to meet the needs of society."
As well as cadre members, Mr Lau also appreciates the support of his colleaglues and family for his secondary duty of saving lives.
Enthusiasm in
volunteer services
Coming from a family with a modest background, Mr Lau loathes injustice and has a strong sense of righteousness. With a passion for volunteer service, he joined the Civil Aid Service as early as at the age of 13. After joining the Force, he set up the Friends of Hope Education Fund and the Xuan Yuan Education Fund, and has spent his spare time helping with building of schools in the mountainous areas on the Mainland. He is also a long-time active member of the Hong Kong Police Inspectors' Association.
For the rest of his career in the Force, Mr Lau hopes he could pass on his negotiation skills to the new generation of officers so that the Force would provide more quality services as a caring organisation.
Encouragement to
officers
For Mr Lau, frontline officers, new-generation officers in particular, should get more involved in society, listen to the aspirations of the general public, and differentiate, in a "bustling and hectic situation", between the demands by the minority and the silent majority. Noting that negotiation skills are applicable not only in saving lives, but also serving the community, he called on officers to read more newspapers and books, and put their fingers on the pulse of society.
Having dealt with many heart-breaking cases, Mr Lau offers this advice to officers: "You've to work hard and don't lament and blame anybody. You've to get better equipped and then provide better services to society."
HK Humanity Award
The Hong Kong Humanity Award is co-organised by Hong Kong Red Cross and Radio Television Hong Kong to give tribute to those who live up to and put into practice the spirit of humanity. The awardees have served as a paragon demonstrating how people can care about others out of the spirit of humanity. So far, a total of 31 persons have received the award.
Mr
Lau
often contributes his expertise at suicide intervention workshops