Police chief crowns student ambassadors as youth arrests rise by 23 per cent
Hong Kong police chief Joe Chow Yat-ming crowned 100 student ambassadors on Saturday as youth arrests surged 23 per cent in the first eight months of the year, driven by assaults, fraud and criminal damage.
Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming officiated the graduation and award ceremony for the third Hong Kong Inter-School Civic Education Officer Selection Competition on Saturday afternoon at Police Headquarters in Wan Chai, crowning the graduating ambassadors.
The competition reached a record scale this year, attracting more than 1,100 primary and secondary school students from 120 local and international schools across Hong Kong. After a preliminary selection, 130 candidates underwent three months of intensive training covering civic responsibility and crime prevention. A total of 100 outstanding students were officially appointed as Civic Education Ambassadors. Organisers announced plans to expand the competition to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for its fourth edition to foster exchanges among regional students.
In his address, Chow highlighted ongoing police efforts to enhance crime prevention through public collaboration, referencing a recently released handbook aimed at helping parents and educators identify emerging crime tactics. Specialised police units, including the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau, the Financial Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, and the Narcotics Bureau, provided tailored training modules and served as judges. Chow encouraged the newly appointed ambassadors to act as role models, promoting law-abiding values and leadership within their schools and communities.
Addressing recent enforcement figures, the police chief disclosed that 2,144 young people were arrested for criminal offences in the first eight months of the year, representing a 23 per cent increase compared with the same period last year. The primary offences involved woundings and serious assaults stemming from minor disputes, deception and money laundering linked to lending bank accounts or acting as a courier, and criminal damage related to illegal debt collection and quick-money schemes. Chow reiterated the force's commitment to improving civic awareness and helping youth identify legal traps to avoid exploitation by criminals.
