More kids joining uniformed groups: govt

Security Secretary Chris Tang on Tuesday said his bureau will do more to attract children to join youth uniformed groups, but dismissed a suggestion that membership should be compulsory. At a Legco panel meeting, Tang said about 170,000 children were members of uniformed groups last year – the vast majority in the Junior Police Call – and this was a rise of around 5,700 compared with 2021. He said the bureau is hoping to increase the number even further. “We will continue to work with schools to recruit more members. We’ll also make use of social media platforms to attract new blood as social media platforms are quite popular among young people. We will use their channel to attract them to join us,” he said. DAB lawmaker Elizabeth Quat asked Tang whether it could be made compulsory for secondary school students to join at least one uniformed group. Tang said membership would be left up to children to decide, conceding that not everyone would like to join such a group. “Students’ interests are diversified. Some students may not prefer uniformed groups. They may prefer art and culture groups instead. So all in all we want to make sure those interested to join are able to do so,” he said. Tang was also asked about how much money is spent on uniformed groups. He said his bureau did not have such figures.