Hong Kong police negotiators say much about life today
- New recruits also learn how to listen and make a life-or-death difference as Hong Kong faces its own challenges in uncertain times
The art of listening may not be the first quality most of us would list as a priority for police work, but we should be all ears and support Hong Kong’s efforts to ensure some officers may make a life-or-death difference as skilled negotiators.
The force is currently preparing 15 recruits for its police negotiation cadre, which currently has 95 members.
The Post recently saw officers going through a two-week training programme that included dramatic scenarios to help them learn how to deal with suicide attempts, family disputes, kidnappings and even terrorist attacks.
The programme’s lead trainer, Calvin Cheung Kin-pan, said the recruits quickly learned that successful negotiation was not about talking someone out of a situation, but rather knowing how to “listen to the subject and how they express their emotions”.
The approach is gaining attention around the world, and some veteran negotiators overseas even offer master classes to help civilians in daily life and business.
Disciplined services have also expanded training to respond to rapid social change and overcome distrust in the wake of conflicts with communities.
The force’s recent training involved young people playing secondary roles as friends and family members during practical sessions, and later offering feedback on how trainee negotiators performed.
Defusing disputes: why Hong Kong police negotiators train to get an earful
Such contacts are welcome examples of how police and the city’s younger residents may be able to rebuild a relationship that suffered during the 2019 social unrest.
It was also good to see recruits practise defusing situations where those involved were not speaking one of the city’s official languages – Chinese or English.
Training scenarios have been developed from real events handled by negotiators in the past.
In the first 10 months of this year, the team carried out 70 missions involving suicide attempts, and people standing at dangerous locations or being trapped. In all but one, the person concerned was successfully rescued.
Cadre commanding officer Stephen Liauw Ka-kei said the goal was to help officers be ready for the unexpected.
For a city facing its own challenges in uncertain times, it is encouraging to see the professionalism of those charged with keeping the community safe.
