Hong Kong police officer Ifzal Zaffar has stolen the hearts of netizens and is being hailed as a hero after he helped talk a man out of committing suicide by jumping from a crane.
The 20-year-old officer, who is of Pakistani descent, received a call at around 10:40 a.m. on Sunday that a suicidal Pakistani man named Anan was at a construction site near the Western Harbor Tunnel, according to Coconuts Hong Kong.
He used their common language of Urdu to convince the man to climb down to safety.
Anan was rushed to a local hospital.
Not only does Zaffar, from the patrol unit of Yau Tsim District, speak Urdu but he is also fluent in Cantonese, as he was born and raised in Hong Kong.
Here’s proof of his fluency in an interview with Apple Daily posted by the Hong Kong Police:
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“I used the techniques we learned at the academy… I think he felt safer knowing that I could talk to him in his own language,” Zaffar said.
His commanding officer, Cheung Leung-yuk, praised the young officer for the way he handled the situation.
Zaffar joined the Hong Kong police force only about a year ago after graduating from Project Gemstone which aims to help non-Chinese members of the force to break down language barriers.
He is the fifth non-Chinese officer to graduate from the program.
Besides receiving commendation from social media users, some people were in awe of his ability to speak Cantonese.
“Excellent Cantonese… good character… friendly personality… high spirit… he’s an asset to the Hong Kong police force,” one user wrote.
Others, however, immediately pointed out Zaffar’s handsome looks, calling him the “pretty boy cop,” and “Hong Kong’s most handsome police officer.”
When asked what he looked for in a potential girlfriend, Zaffar replied: “I think work is more important at the moment.”
Sorry, ladies and gentlemen.
