Police Touch
Andrea LAM DP1A
On the 22 of September, 5 students from the secondary school went to the Police College for their annual Police Touch Open Day Program, where we got a good look inside the campus where cadets train to become Hong Kong’s police officers.
Our first stop was at the marching grounds that the cadets would routinely march on, so much so that there were marks left on the ground by their footsteps. The cadets called them “泪痕”, in translation, tear marks, left by the sweat and tears through their tough training. We participated in the many activities prepared, after watching a short video about the academy we watched a marching performance and got to try it ourselves.
Next, we went to the cadets’ training room where we had the opportunity to try some of the qualification tests that one has to pass in order to enrol in the police college. First, we went through the handgrip strength test, which determined whether or not you had the strength to fire a gun. Then there was a jumping test, where, after applying flour on our hands, we jumped to see how high we could reach. Additionally, we tried other activities such as the rowing machine and a balancing board, all of which helped to train the fitness of the cadets.
The highlight of our tour was definitely the two leadership activities they prepared for us. Our first was to rescue a baby doll from about 2 or 3 metres away, using only a pole and some rope. Although we managed to complete the task, we didn’t make the required time. What surprised us, I guess, was the reflection we were taken through right after, which allowed us to assess our own performance and most importantly learn from our mistakes as leaders. The second activity required us to get a large beach ball across a room using pool noodles. Although we finished the first stage with ease, they soon challenged us further with specific requirements. Hence, there we were trying to get a beach ball across the room, holding the pool noodle at its end, only using the tips to hold the ball up. One of the best parts about attending the programme was meeting people, who also share similar interest in the police academy, many of whom were students from HKU and CityU. It was an interesting experience to come together and work with strangers in a team exercise.
All of us probably had different reasons for joining the programme, including an interest to join the police force as a future career or just a curiosity to find out more, but we all emerged from the programme with a better understanding on the importance of the police in our society, and the difficulty of the police college with its tough training and high expectations. Overall it was a really cool and enlightening experience, getting to learn about this career field and I would definitely want to go back again next year!
