Reaching out, making good

Suk-yee met Fan Ka-lok and Chan Ka-hei when they were both teenagers back in the early 2000s. She took charge of their rehabilitation after arrest. Once at risk of becoming hardened criminals, instead, their lives were transformed.

Outreach social workers like Ho Suk-yee know about juvenile delinquency. When she met Kalok and Ka-hei, they were both just 13. They had been arrested when Ka-lok got into a triad fight and Ka-hei was friends with the gang leader.

“They were both referred to the Police Superintendent's Discretionary Scheme and HKFYG was a collaborating partner,” explains Suk-yee. “The scheme involves two or three years of rehabilitation and if the young offenders comply, they don’t get a criminal record. Most of the cases I handle are for shoplifting. About a fifth involve assault but we rarely get a triad-related crime like Ka-lok’s.”

One day, Ka-lok met Suk-yee at Castle Peak Police Station. “I’d never met a social worker before,” he says. “She seemed very kind, not fierce or anything. I guessed she was trying to help me but I didn’t really listen and said nothing.”

Ka-lok and Ka-hei were at the same secondary school but not close friends. It was Suk-yee’s job to explain the Police Superintendent's Discretionary Scheme to them both and tell them to stay out of trouble.

Young people like them get bored. That’s how they get involved in crime.

When Ka-hei met Suk-yee she was more communicative than Ka-lok. “I was only watching the fight when we got arrested and I thought I’d done nothing wrong so I wasn’t scared at the Police Station when I met Miss Ho, as we called her then. Actually, I was really surprised. She was so different from what I expected and I had the feeling that she might know how to get me out of trouble.”

Suk-yee’s job was to stay in touch with the teenagers, to call them and meet up regularly. “Young people like them just get bored. Nobody really looks after them properly, sometimes they feel forgotten. They have nothing to do and are easy prey for bad influences.”

Suk-yee had no trouble with Ka-hei. She invited them both to start voluntary community work and Ka-hei

took her advice straight away, visiting senior people, flag-selling and doing other voluntary work. Ka-lok was different. “He never answered the phone and in fact, his mum asked me to help when he didn’t come home after school. I used to look for him or ask his friends and every time I managed to find him.”

Ka-lok was not happy about this. “She nagged me, just like my mother. At first, I just turned off my phone, avoided her and ignored whatever she said. But somehow, her my bad friends and my bad habits. That was 17 years ago. tactics worked. I started to stay home instead of hanging It was a true turning point for us. Ka-hei and I got together out with my triad friends. That made her less annoying after leaving school in 2013 and we got married in 2015. because she wasn’t constantly We are still regular volunteers out looking for me!” If we hadn’t met Suk-yee, our but Suk-yee didn’t find out till we all happened to be at a His stubbornness was no match for Suk-yee. She told lives would probably have wedding together in 2017.” him that if he wasn’t the been totally different. After getting married, the leader of the triad gang there couple opened a vehicle repair was no point in joining it. shop in To Kwa Wan. They had He would always be just an insignificant flunky who was two boys. “One of them is already four and the other is 6 worthless. “I remember the day she said that. She realized months,” says Ka-lok. “I fixed Suk-yee’s car just a week ago. it would work. It made me feel small. Of course, I didn’t Sometimes we have dinner together, and I take my boys to trust her, but she made me stop and think about my life.” visit her. If we hadn’t met Suk-yee, our lives would probably Ka-lok was a real challenge for Suk-yee but she wouldn’t want any other job. “Normal youngsters have enough. Suk-yee is still doing outreach work with HKFYG Youth like these are always forgotten. You can’t just but she says she has a bad habit: “I never turn off say they are good or bad. My job is to let them know I my phone. It’s on 24-hour standby just in case those will always be there for them. If I can get them to trust young people and their parents need me.” me and help them move on that’s the best reward. have been totally different. She was so patient with me.”

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Eventually Ka-lok changed, just as Ka-hei had. “I realize Youth Crime Prevention Centre now that she made me into a better person. I abandoned all ycpc.hkfyg.org.hk