IT is not everyday the Police Commissioner makes himself available to the media.
So last Friday afternoon, reporters flocked in droves to the Ocean City restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui for the Junior Police Officers Association's 11th inauguration ceremony.
Reporters were told to assemble promptly at 5 pm. However, on arrival, the sobering news came that Eddie Hui Ki-on would not be available until 7.30 pm - after countless handshakes and official obligations on the dais.
This news was not well received and the pack started rumbling. But, noting the agitation - and the manifest potential of a media walkout - association organisers hurriedly came up with a plan to guarantee coverage.
Within an instant, two tables were set up and 20-odd reporters sat down to an impromptu meal, easing both the verbal and intestinal rumbles.
Needless to say, after being wined and dined, every hack stayed until the bitter end.