Cyber crime fighters: Chief Inspector Alex Leung and Sergeant Ella Kwok at work.

The Kowloon City District Police Community Relations Office has added information technology to its crime fighting arsenal.

It has been using the Baptist University's online classroom, the Virtual Integrated Teaching & Learning Environment platform, to promote anti-crime messages on the Internet since January through the office's Anti-crime Online Learning Programme.

The platform was originally an online classroom launched during the SARS crisis last summer to enable teachers to interact with their students and conduct lessons through the web. All classes have resumed now but the platform's support to schools and the wider community is continuing.

More students, parents reached

Kowloon City Community Relations Officer Chief Inspector Alex Leung said the platform is an ideal medium to reach more students, parents and teachers to spread crime-prevention messages.

"My officers have been conducting crime-prevention talks in schools. The university's online classroom is a good supplement to the talks and will enable us to reach more students and parents, as well as other sectors of the community," he said.

The programme disseminates messages of different topics through recorded interviews by TVB kids' show presenter Vicky Tong.

The seven-minute interviews have covered law, penalties, and the seriousness of theft and bullying. The March and April episodes will cover youth drug abuse and proper use of the 999 emergency number.

Prevention of triad infiltration into schools, computer crime, scams, family violence and traps for summer job seekers are being considered for future shows.

Mr Leung plans to improve the presentation format and bring in outdoor location shooting to reach other sectors of the community.

Users' views sought

Mr Leung plans to seek Junior Police Call members' views and comments as 'users', and invite their participation in production work. He will also issue questionnaires to school principals and teachers, parents and members of teacher-parent bodies in Kowloon City to canvass their views and suggestions on the project.

He also plans to support non-governmental organisations and the Kowloon City District Fight Crime Committee, and link his project with the websites of relevant Government departments and youth organisations.