Police Sergeant couple, Mr Lee Ho-kay and Ms Kwok Chau-fung, stationed at the Emergency Unit New Territories North and Sha Tau Kok Division respectively, were both presented with the “Heroic Volunteer Award” in recognition of their effort in saving a seven-year-old autistic boy who got lost on an expressway in Tuen Mun on 29 April 2023 while they were off duty.

On 29 April 2023, when Mr Lee was driving his private car carrying Ms Kwok while off duty along Wong Chu Road and Lung Fu Road towards Butterfly Beach, they witnessed a boy wandering among the lanes of an expressway. At that time, the boy was under immense danger of being hit by passing vehicles, and no pavement could be found nearby for him to move to a safe location.

At that critical juncture, Mr Lee stopped his car when it was safe to do so and blocked part of the lanes with his car to avoid accidents caused by the vehicles coming from behind that might fail to stop in time. Meanwhile, his wife Ms Kwok got off the car immediately and rushed to bring the boy into the car. And in the car the couple kept calming him down and tried to ask him briefly for the contact information of his family. Nevertheless, the boy was unable to express himself verbally, nor did he carry with him any emergency contact details.

No sooner had the couple escorted the boy to a safe location than they informed a reporting centre of the Police about the incident and requested assistance from officers on duty to locate his family.

The couple later learnt that the boy had left home in anger following an argument with his family members and inadvertently walked onto the expressway. Fortunately, they found the boy in time to save him from danger. It was confirmed after examination that he did not sustain any injuries. The boy’s father subsequently wrote to the couple to extend his gratitude. The video footage showing how the couple saved the boy on the expressway has been widely circulated online, earning wide media coverage and acclaim for their benevolent deed.