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The graduation and award ceremony for the third Hong Kong Inter-School Civic Education Officer Selection Competition took place on Saturday afternoon at Police Headquarters in Wan Chai, where Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming served as the officiating guest and crowned the graduating ambassadors.
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Competition details and future expansion
This year's competition reached a record scale, attracting over 1,100 primary and secondary school students from 120 local and international schools across Hong Kong.
Following 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. Organizers 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.
Specialized police training and message to youth
In his address, Chow highlighted ongoing police efforts to enhance crime prevention through public collaboration, referencing the recently released handbook aimed at helping parents and educators identify emerging crime tactics.
During the program, specialized 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.
Rise in youth crime figures
Addressing recent enforcement figures, the police chief disclosed that 2,144 young people were arrested for criminal offenses in the first eight months of the year, representing a 23 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
The primary offenses 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.
