Force delegation looks at community policing down under
A delegation led by Chief Inspector (CIP) Chan Hon-ming visited New South Wales Police Force (NSWPF) in Sydney from July 22 to 30 to study community policing and use of social media in policing.
CIPs Chan Sin and Cheng Lai-ki joined the delegation in Sydney after completing a Police Management Development Programme that started in early July in the Australian Institute of Police Management.
During the visit, the delegation met a few key commanding officers at the Police Headquarters in Parramatta, including the acting Assistant Commissioner leading the State Crime Command, Mr Mal Lanyon, who gave the delegation a presentation on policing.
The focus of the visit was on the use of a social medium - Project "Eyewatch", which represents a new form of neighbourhood watch in the 21st century using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as communication platforms between the Police and the community. It is a new strategy to provide information on policing activities and general information, in a bid to engage the community in law enforcement.
According to NSWPF statistics, there are more than 5.26 million active users and five million active mobile users surfing the platforms monthly. "With the use of Facebook, the Force is able to supply first-hand crime information, including crime figures and issues that affect the community.
"The 'Eyewatch' is so successful that it has won a few international and local business awards," said Mr Tim Archer, Corporate Communications Manager of NSWPF, when he led the delegation in touring the media centre.
The delegation benefited a lot from studying the rapid changes and transformation in a multi-cultural society and lectures on Diverse Communities.
Before the visit concluded, NSWPF Assistant Commissioner, Michael Corboy, hosted a lunch for the delegation at the NSWPF Academy, giving delegation members a good opportunity to share views and experiences with their hosts.
"Officers have certainly benefited from their study visit programme. With such exposure, they have gained a better understanding of today's policing in an innovative way, and fostered an international working relationship in the interests of improving professionalism for both parties," said CIP Chan Hon-ming.
NSWPF Assistant
Commissioner, Mr Michael Corboy (centre) meets the Force delegation