Director of Public Prosecutions Grenville Cross has been awarded a certificate of merit at the International Association of Prosecutors' 13th annual conference in Singapore.

Mr Cross was elected a member of the association's executive committee for a three-year term in 2007, and represents Hong Kong, the first prosecutor from the city to sit on the committee.

The certificate recognises his contribution to the association, including having hosted the body's 12th annual conference in Hong Kong in last September.

Describing the award as a great honour, Mr Cross said it was welcome recognition of the status now enjoyed at the international level by the prosecution service of Hong Kong.

Mr Cross led the Prosecutions Division of the Department of Justice into the association in 2001 as its 75th organisational member, and since then the division has played a full role in the body's work, including its initiatives to counter organised crime, corruption, child abuse, technology crime and narcotics.