KARACHI: A Hong Kong policeman of Pakistani descent won thousands of hearts overnight after he convinced a suicidal man not to kill himself in his native language, Urdu.

Twenty-year-old Ifzal Zaffar, of the patrol unit of Yau Tsim District, said he had received a call after 10.40am on Sunday about a suicidal Pakistani man who had climbed up a crane at a construction site near the Western Harbour Tunnel.

The 20-year-old has become a hero after he talked the man out of committing suicide

After he arrived at the construction site, Mr Zaffar’s commanding officer urged him to help. According to Apple Daily, a local newspaper, the young officer climbed the crane and spoke to Mr Anan in Urdu.

After talking to the officer for a while, Mr Anan agreed to come down and was taken to a hospital.

Talking to Apple Daily, the policeman said that he had used techniques he had learnt at the academy. “I think he felt safer knowing that I could talk to him in his own language,” he said.

His commanding officer, Cheung Leung-yuk, said he was proud of the young officer for handling the situation well.

ON THE JOB: Mr Zaffar, who speaks fluent Cantonese, joined the force less than a year ago after graduating from Project Gemstone — a police scheme to recruit non-Chinese officers. He is said to be the only officer of Pakistani origin in the district but the fifth non-Chinese officer to join the force through the programme.

In a video posted by the Hong Kong police force, the young officer said working in the district, he came across a lot of people of South Asian descent and this gave him the opportunity to speak in his mother tongue frequently.

“I can gain their trust as I am able to speak their language and with their trust I can handle their cases easily,” he said, adding that it was his childhood dream to become a police officer.

GOING VIRAL: The young officer has won widespread praise from the internet where people have lauded him for his quick thinking and empathy.

A good deal of attention, however, has been focused on Mr Zaffar’s good looks, with many netizens and some media outlets calling him the “pretty boy cop”, and “Hong Kong’s most handsome police officer”.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2017