Hong Kong Police Honors 80 Citizens for Crime Prevention and Life-Saving Acts at 2025 Good Citizen Award Ceremony

Eighty citizens and six organisations commended for supporting Police in crime prevention

The Hong Kong Police Force held the “Good Citizen Award (GCA) Presentation Ceremony 2025” at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre today (March 14) to commend 80 members of the public for their assistance in combating crime and saving lives, and to present the “Good Organisation Award” to six organisations in recognition of their active support for the Police in promoting anti-deception initiatives, fighting crime, safeguarding national security and fostering youth development.

Addressing the ceremony, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Chow Yat-ming, highlighted that the GCA Scheme, launched in 1973, has honoured nearly 4 800 good citizens to date, fully demonstrating Hong Kong citizens’ spirit of mutual help and courage in doing what is right. He expressed appreciation for the awardees for offering assistance and making the right choice at critical moments, which echoed this year’s theme, “Good Citizen–A Flash Moment–Be United”. He added that calm judgment in a flash moment helps members of the public avoid scammers’ traps. He urged the public to make good use of “Scameter+”, a mobile app launched by the Police, to identify suspicious calls and websites, and to think twice before disclosing personal or account data, or engaging in money transactions.

He added that this year’s six “Good Organisation Award” recipients have actively fulfilled their corporate social responsibilities by bringing anti-scam and anti-drug messages into the community, thereby supporting police efforts. He said that the Police would continue working hand in hand with the public, organisations and stakeholders from all sectors of the community to transform every “flash moment” of kindness into a strong, lasting force safeguarding our home.

Another officiating guest, the Chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC), Hong Kong, Dr Jonathan Choi, noted that the recipients of the GCA came from different sectors and backgrounds, yet they all shared the same willingness to act as “guardians” by assisting the Police in preventing crime. He said that the CGCC would continue to encourage the business community to promote the good citizen spirit, so as to make Hong Kong a better place to live and work. Fight Crime Committee member, Ms Cecilia Ho, said that by asking just one more question and taking one more step at critical moments, these individual efforts by members of the public can unite to become the Police’s strongest support in combating crime and saving lives.

In 2025, a total of 80 GCA awardees were commended for assisting the Police in preventing and detecting crime, arresting offenders and saving lives. The “Good Citizen of the Year Award” (GCYA) was presented to Mr Leung Ho-yin, who bravely rescued three people from drowning after they fell into the sea during Super Typhoon Ragasa in Hong Kong last year.

The GCA Scheme is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Police Force and the Fight Crime Committee, with support from the CGCC since 2025. Each awardee receives a cash prize of $4,000, and the GCYA recipient receives $6,000, in recognition of their courage in upholding what is right.

A brand new promotional video series, “A Flash Moment of Good Citizens”, premiered at the ceremony. Adapted from four award-winning cases of 2025, it features the award winners themselves starring in and portraying their pivotal “flash moment” good citizen stories. The videos will be uploaded to the Police Force’s Facebook and YouTube channel.

The “Good Citizen Award Presentation Ceremony 2025” was held today (March 14), featuring interactive exhibition panels themed “Good Citizen–A Flash Moment–Be United” that allow attendees to learn about the 80 award recipients’ good citizen stories. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The “Good Citizen Award Presentation Ceremony 2025” was held today (March 14). A group of actors performs a mini drama at the ceremony to promote anti-deception and crime-fighting messages. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The “Good Citizen Award Presentation Ceremony 2025” was held today (March 14). Fight Crime Committee member, Ms Cecilia Ho (right), presents the Good Citizen Award to this year’s youngest awardee, Tin Chak-ho. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The “Good Citizen Award Presentation Ceremony 2025” was held today (March 14). The Chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong, Dr Jonathan Choi (right), presents the Good Citizen Award to this year’s eldest awardee, Mr Lai Koon-wong. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The “Good Citizen Award Presentation Ceremony 2025” was held today (March 14). The Commissioner of Police, Mr Chow Yat-ming (right), presents the “Good Citizen of the Year Award” to Mr Leung Ho-yin, who bravely rescued three people from drowning after they fell into the sea during Super Typhoon Ragasa in Hong Kong last year. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The “Good Citizen Award Presentation Ceremony 2025” was held today (March 14). The Commissioner of Police, Mr Chow Yat-ming (right), presents the “Good Organisation Award” to a representative of City University of Hong Kong. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The “Good Citizen Award Presentation Ceremony 2025” was held today (March 14). The Commissioner of Police, Mr Chow Yat-ming, delivers a speech at the ceremony. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The “Good Citizen Award Presentation Ceremony 2025” was held today (March 14). Photo shows (from left) the Chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong, Dr Jonathan Choi; the Commissioner of Police, Mr Chow Yat-ming, and Fight Crime Committee member, Ms Cecilia Ho, officiating at the ceremony. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

DH and HA follow up on suspected case of unauthorised access to patients' medical records by doctor undergoing specialty training while conducting clinical research

The Department of Health (DH) and the Hospital Authority (HA) announced today (April 21) that a doctor deployed from the HA to the DH for specialty training was suspected of accessing medical records of patients without authorisation while conducting clinical research. The patients concerned were not under the doctor's direct care.

The DH previously received an enquiry from a member of the public regarding access to electronic health records (eHRs) and launched an investigation. The DH found that, in March this year, a doctor undergoing specialty training accessed the medical records of patients not under the doctor's direct care without authorisation through the clinical information management system of the Social Hygiene Clinics and eHealth system, involving a total of 47 patients.

The doctor in question has been deployed to the DH's Social Hygiene Service since 2023, where the doctor undergoes regular training on a weekly basis, participates in clinical service and provides medical consultations to patients.

According to individual specialty College's requirements, doctors under specialty training are required to participate in research projects as part of their specialty training. It is understood that the doctor in question was conducting a clinical research project that had been approved by the HA's Institutional Review Board. The scope of the approval was limited to patients' records from public hospitals and did not cover the DH's patient records. The doctor accessed the relevant records without obtaining separate authorisation from the DH.

In response to the incident, the DH has immediately suspended the doctor's training and referred to the Police for follow up. The DH has also reported the case to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, the Commissioner for Electronic Health Record and the HA, which employed the doctor. The DH is currently notifying the affected individuals.

According to the DH's internal guidelines, healthcare personnel must protect patient privacy and comply with the relevant laws and regulations when accessing patients' medical records. When accessing eHealth data, they must also comply with the Electronic Health System Ordinance (Cap. 625) and the relevant code of practice. Healthcare personnel must obtain prior consent from the patients and adhere to the principles of "Need to Know" and "Patient Under Care" before accessing patients' medical records through any of the DH's clinical information management systems or eHealth system. At the system level, all activities on access to eHRs stored in the eHealth system are logged for later audit and prevention of abuse.

The HA earlier received the DH's notification and learned that the DH had reported the incident to law enforcement and regulatory authorities. The HA will fully co-operate with the investigation.

"The HA believes that although this is an isolated incident related to clinical research, the procedure was inappropriate. The HA will take this matter seriously and strengthen staff training on the precautions they should take when using patient data for clinical research," an HA spokesman said.

Both the DH and the HA reiterated that they attach great importance to protecting patient privacy. There are established mechanisms to regulate staff conduct and discipline.

Source: AI-found images