A man who went missing in Ma On Shan has been located.

     Man Ping-leung, aged 78, went missing after he was last seen at a Bus Interchange on Tate’s Cairn Highway towards Sha Tin direction on December 10 morning. His family made a report to Police on the same day.

     The man was located at Sheung Shui MTR Station yesterday (December 12) afternoon. He sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.

     The Government announced today (December 12) that in view of the latest global developments of the COVID-19 pandemic situation, Mauritius and Sierra Leone will be specified as Group A specified places from 0.00am on December 15 to tighten the boarding and quarantine requirements for relevant inbound travellers.
   
    The Government announced earlier that as a preventive measure, the Government would specify places which have detected Omicron cases as Group A specified places. Noting that the detection of Omicron cases was confirmed in Mauritius and Sierra Leone, the Government will specify them as Group A specified places from 0.00am on December 15. Non-Hong Kong residents who have stayed there within 21 days will not be allowed to enter Hong Kong. Hong Kong residents can only board a flight for Hong Kong if they have been fully vaccinated and hold a recognised vaccination record. They will have to undergo compulsory quarantine in a designated quarantine hotel for 21 days upon returning to Hong Kong, with six tests to be conducted during quarantine, followed by compulsory testing in a community testing centre on the 26th day of arrival at Hong Kong.
 
    Details on the relevant boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements for respective specified places can be found at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/inbound-travel.html.
       
    The Government will gazette the relevant updated specifications under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H) to effect the above measures.

     The Hong Kong Police Force today (December 12) held the Police Recruitment Experience and Assessment Day (READ) at the Hong Kong Police College with the theme of “Your Police” to showcase to participants a wide range of policing elements including the recruitment selection process, foundation training programmes, physical fitness test, and the work of different police units.

     The event consisted of three thematic sessions: (1) Selection workshops for Probationary Inspector / Police Constable; (2) Police Unit Display / Recruitment Talk / Meet Your Instructors; and (3) Physical Fitness Test Workshop. Participants were given the opportunity to experience the selection process through the workshops and obtain useful information and tips about the entire recruitment process. In addition, several trainees and training instructors will share the training lives with visitors. To enable the participants to gain a better knowledge of the police work, thematic talks were firstly introduced in the programme, in which the topics were selected by the participants in advance.

     In addition, a range of police units, including the Patrol Sub-unit, the Emergency Unit, the Police Tactical Unit, the Narcotics Bureau, the Police Dog Unit, and the Force Escort Group, exhibited their equipment and introduced their work and duties to visitors.

     Participants attending the physical test workshops experienced the four fitness test items, including 800m run, 4x10m shuttle-run, vertical jump, and handgrip strength test. There were also recruitment stations to facilitate participants to apply the posts and take part in the selection process on the spot. The relative selection results will be valid for three months.

     The Police Recruitment Experience and Assessment Day attracted a total attendance of 1,671, among which 532 on-spot applications were received, comprising 187 for Probationary Inspector, 243 for Recruit Police Constable, and 102 for Police Constable (Auxiliary) posts. Applicants included students of local and overseas tertiary institutes, working people and ethnic minorities.

     The Force accepts job applications year-round. Persons who are interested in applying for Probationary Inspector, Recruit Police Constable or Police Constable (Auxiliary) can complete the application form at the Police website or mail the completed form to the Police Recruitment Division. For more information, please visit the Police recruitment webpage at www.police.gov.hk/recruitment.

          

     The Civil Aid Service (CAS) held the 83rd Recruits Passing-out Parade at its headquarters today (December 12). The parade was reviewed by the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Ms Louise Ho.

     The CAS Recruit Training Certificate Programme has been recognised under the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework as meeting the accreditation standards at Level 3 by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications. Graduates will be awarded the Certificate in Auxiliary Forces Basic Training (Civil Defence). 
 
     A total of 38 officers and 82 recruits participated in the Passing-out Parade, after which they will apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired to serve society. The graduates came from all walks of life, including members of the aviation, education, social welfare, accounting and engineering industries/sectors as well as tertiary students.
 
     The Reviewing Officer presented awards to the outstanding officer cadets and recruits. The recruits also performed a rescue demonstration to showcase their learning outcomes.

     Recruitment of CAS members is open for application throughout the year. Recruitment details and application forms are available at the CAS website (www.cas.gov.hk).

        

     The Director of Social Welfare, Mr Gordon Leung, today (December 12) called on members of various sectors to continue to work with the Government to build a dementia-friendly and age-friendly community as he addressed the "CareNin2" movie screening and sharing session organised by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) under the Dementia Friendly Community Campaign (the Campaign).
 
     Mr Leung said that the SWD has launched a series of public education programmes under the Campaign since September 2018 and has commissioned the Hong Kong Alzheimer's Disease Association to roll out various Dementia Friends information sessions to enhance public understanding and concern for dementia. As at November 30 this year, more than 16 700 people have registered as Dementia Friends. Mr Leung was deeply encouraged by such a positive response and he appealed to the public for their continuous participation in and support for the Campaign.
 
     The Chairman of the Elderly Commission, Dr Lam Ching-choi, who also attended the event, stressed the importance of early identification of people suffering from dementia. He encouraged the public to show more care and concern for the elderly in their neighbourhood. With concerted efforts in the community, he said people suffering from dementia could live in dignity.
 
     With the improvement in the COVID-19 epidemic situation, the SWD has gradually resumed the publicity and educational programmes of the Campaign starting from November this year. These included collaborations between the District Social Welfare Offices of the SWD and non-governmental organisations in organising a tram tour, setting up mobile promotional counters, developing an online platform for dementia information sharing, publishing quarterly information booklets and implementing a "Dementia Friendly Promotion Project at Schools". Apart from the event today, the SWD also plans to organise two more movie screening and sharing sessions in January and February next year on Hong Kong Island and in the New Territories respectively to draw public attention towards the needs of persons with dementia and their families.
 
     To mobilise young people to work in elderly and rehabilitation care services, the SWD launched the Navigation Scheme for Young Persons in Care Services (the Navigation Scheme) in 2015. The movie shown today, "CareNin2", is a vivid depiction of the experience of a young personal care worker in a large residential care home for the elderly where he looks after a resident suffering from dementia. At today's event, Mr Liu Man-him, a graduate of the Navigation Scheme who has spent five years working in elderly care services, shared his stories of working with elderly persons with dementia and how his professional knowledge helps residents of the elderly care homes feel assured of the services they receive during the epidemic. Mr Matthew Shum, the founder of the Illuminant, a social enterprise that co-organised today's event, also shared his self-reflections on the ageing population, dementia and elderly services.
 
     At the event, Mr Leung appealed to members of the public who have not received COVID-19 vaccination to get vaccinated as early as possible. He also reminded registered voters to cast their votes in the 2021 Legislative Council General Election on December 19.
 
     Details of the Dementia Friendly Community Campaign are available at the thematic webpage (www.swd.gov.hk/dementiacampaign/en/index.html).