Police World Edition 2 2013

Article

The Hong Kong Way

Is it worth travelling 6000 miles to experience IPA hospitality in Asia? Brian Kennedy, Publicity Officer for 2 Region, asked himself that question and decided there was only one way to find out. H ong Kong, an evocative and inspiring city and one that has been on my to- do list for many years. I had the good we made the almost mandatory visit to the floating Jumbo restaurant, another iconic Hong Kong image.

Such a far cry from the grey, uninspiring portacabin which is my office! Jack Tam gave me the full guided tour and afterwards we had lunch with Paul Renouf, the Supt. in charge of Counterfeit and Forgery Division and I had a chance, but very friendly, meeting with the Deputy Commisioner, Lo Mo Hung. Jack doesn’t do things in half measures. The next day he picked us up and we drove up into the New Territories to visit the ‘frontier closed area’ (FCA) of north east Hong Kong on the border with China. You need a special pass to get in here through the checkpoint and they are only given out to residents and visitors sponsored by a resident. They are virtually

fortune recently to visit this ex-British colony accompanied by my friend and colleague Tim Hedgley, an ex-police officer, long time IPA member and currently the Travel Editor for the Irish independent - Ireland's biggest selling newspaper. This was a working trip for Tim mixed with the opportunity for IPA hospitality for us both. Prior to travel I had contacted Jack Tam, Secretary General for Section Hong Kong to introduce ourselves. We didn't require hosting, just some good local knowledge and savvy travellers' tips. Also I had made the fortuitous contact with an Inspector in the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Cleland Rogers, who was an ex-Hong Kong police officer. Between them, these two individuals created an outstanding travel experience which I will never forget. On landing at Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport, I was immediately struck by the enormity of everything in this ever so tiny part of China where the square yard is at a premium and a 500 square foot apartment can easily cost £1 million, the most expensive real estate in the world. Replacing the iconic Kai Tak airport in 1998 and built, not surprisingly, on a man made island reclaimed from the sea, Chek Lap Kok is the 10th largest in the world servicing over 53 million passengers per annum. It is also one of the cleanest and most efficient places I have ever visited, impressions which would very much set the tone for all of my experiences in Hong Kong. After a day or two seeing some sights, doing a little bit of work and not buying anything (this is one seriously expensive city) we made our way to the Hong Kong Police College in Aberdeen on HK Island. Established in 2006, this is an impressive facility, reminiscent in many ways of a military college, not least in terms of the outstanding discipline and respect we witnessed from the student officers. I hadn't walked a parade square in 30 years (and I certainly never warranted a salute) but as I watched the morning parade, the magnificent band and the millimetre perfect marching, I was reminded of my nephew's passing out parade at Sandhurst. We stayed two very comfortable nights in the College for next to nothing in cost and the experience of Chinese food for breakfast in the officers mess, I must say, a new one on me. Stanley Chan, Membership Secretary for Section Hong Kong, is an instructor there and is justifiably very proud of this extraordinary place. He is also a fabulous host, tour guide and friend. Whilst in Aberdeen

A trip to Victoria Peak is of course a must do and the view is undeniably magnificent if you’re lucky enough to get a clear day or evening. The Peak Tramway, a funicular railway which transports you up the 1.4 kilometres to the top, opened in 1888 and now carries an average of 11,000 passengers a day. But, with queues as daunting as a popular Disney ride, we opted for the quick way up, by taxi. We met Stanley and some IPA colleagues at the top then made our way to a famous restaurant for a delicious ‘Poon Choi’ banquet.

Tim Hedgley, Brian Kennedy and Jack Tam at Chung Ying Street - the border crossing

impossible to obtain for a tourist. The small town of Sha Tau Kok lies at the end of the FCA and this was our destination. Created by the colonial Government in 1951 the FCA was once regarded as one of the world’s most sensitive areas. Although the Chinese Government is now slowly opening up the FCA in a phased programme between 2012 and 2015, Sha Tau Kok will remain closed off indefinitely. Home of the famed Chung Street, the small main thoroughfare between mainland China and HK, this small town radiates a strange feeling to the outsider, simply because you do get the impression that you shouldn’t be there. We had a delicious lunch in the Tiger restaurant, which is, without a doubt, one of the most exclusive

The next day brought an exciting trip to the Police Special Boat Section at Stonecutters Island, Sham Shui Po. Eddie Tang, the Senior Inspector there gave us a fascinating presentation on the work of the boat section and a tour of his fleet of fast boats and Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs). The Hong Kong IPA folk were certainly pushing the boat out for us. No IPA visit to this city would be complete without at least a glimpse of their sublime police headquarters in the Wanchai district. I’ve been to many police establishments in the world, but I think this one takes the prize, an amazing steel and glass skyscraper with facilities that have to be seen to be believed.

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Police World Vol 58 No.2 2013