This term came about after the demolition of the old Cold Storage supermarket building and construction of The Centrepoint in 1982-1983, after which a growing number of teenagers went there to "hang out."
While some of the youths had been found committing crimes such as smoking, glue-sniffing, fighting, and shoplifting, most were only there to make friends.
However, shopkeepers complained that the youths were blocking passageways at shopping centres and frightening away potential customers.
Lam set up an organisation (later named "Youth Challenge") to cater to the needs of the so-called "Centrepoint Kids" and resigned from the police force to concentrate on his efforts to nurture them into socially responsible citizens.
To educate students about social responsibility, Lam visited more than 100 schools to talk about the danger of falling into "street gangs."