Forty citizens commended for helping police fight crime
Forty citizens were commended at the Good Citizen Award (GCA) Presentation Ceremony on June 15 for helping the Police fight crime.
Speaking at the ceremony, Director of Management Services Tang How-kong said that, according to the results of a public opinion survey conducted by the Hong Kong University last year, 95 per cent and 76 per cent of respondents felt Hong Kong safe during daytime and night-time respectively, both ratings being the highest since 1999.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong also ranked first among 66 countries and regions in public order and safety in the "Rule of Law Index 2011" published by the World Justice Project based in the USA, Mr Tang pointed out. He attributed the satisfactory results to the partnership between the Police and the community.
Praising the awardees for their courage and alertness, Mr Tang called on the general public to remain vigilant and join hands with the Police to fight crime.
Also speaking at the ceremony, the Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC), Mr Stephen Ng, said that the GCA had been running for 39 years and that the chamber provided full sponsorship on cash awards to the scheme, hoping to promote the spirit of courage and to make Hong Kong a better place to live and work in.
A member of the Fight Crime Committee, Mr Kwok Wing-keung, agreed that the scheme was widely supported by the public, adding that more and more members of the public are reporting crimes and assisting the police in investigating crime, underscoring the success of the scheme in maintaining a stable and safe society with Police-community co-operation.
With the help of the awardees honoured at the ceremony - 30 men and 10 women - more than 40 people were arrested for a variety of offences, including telephone deception, theft, burglary, robbery, wounding and indecent assault. Each of them was presented with a certificate and a cheque for $2 000.
Four awardees, Mr Wong Chung-kwan, Ms Liu Siu-ping, Mr Lui Siu-po and Ms Wong Kwan-kwan, helped the Police arrest five swindlers in four telephone deception cases. They all received telephone calls from the swindlers who claimed to have detained their sons and demanded ransoms. Suspecting that the calls were scams, they made reports to the Police, and followed the swindlers' instructions to put cash at a particular place.
Five men were arrested when they appeared to pick up the money. They were subsequently given jail terms ranging from two years to four years and five months.
A fifth awardee, Mr Li Kwong-chung, a taxi driver, reminded a woman passenger to ascertain the safety of her daughter when he overheard her conversation with a swindler. As a result of Mr Li's alertness, the woman avoided suffering from financial loss.
Among the GCA recipients are many young people. A 16-year-old student, Ung Oi-yung followed a man and alerted the police when she saw the man made off with a woman's cell phone in a restaurant. Oi-yung also helped officers arrest the man when he tried to sell the phone to a shop. The man was subsequently jaild for 10 months for theft.
The Good Citizen Award, presented twice a year, is organised by Police Public Relations Branch, and sponsored by the HKGCC. So far, more than 3 800 people have been presented with the GCA.
Fight Crime
Publicity Campaign
During the ceremony, a new TV Announcement in the Public Interest (API) to remind people to beware online business fraud was premiered to kick off the Fight Crime Publicity Campaign 2012-13.
The TV API with Cantonese and English versions, and a corresponding radio API in Cantonese, Putonghua and English started broadcasting on local TV and radio stations on the evening of June 15, calling on the public to stay alert to fraudsters.
Mr Tang, Mr Ng (left) and Mr Kwok with the GCA winners
Mr Tang, Mr Kwok (right) and Mr Ng declare the Fight
Crime Publicity Campaign 2012-13 open
Mr Tang presents the GCA to Ung Oi-yung for helping
police arrest a thief 
Mr Tang praises (from left) Yeung Ka-chun, Fang
Kwan-long, Iris Sze and Law Hak-nam for preventing an assault case
Mr Kwok presents the GCA to (from left) Mr Cheung
Ming-shan, Mr Leung Kam-fai and Ms Yuen Ka-po for overpowering an
indecent assault suspect in an MTR train
Mr Ng presents the GCA to Ms Ho Wan-chi for testifying
against an indecent assault suspect