| We see
our people as our greatest asset. During the year, we continued to
improve on the services offered to our officers and we also embarked
on a comprehensive review on the human resources management of the
Force, with a view to introducing a modern and comprehensive human
resources strategy. In 2003, the focus was to reinforce officers'
commitment through the promotion of a partnership culture. In the
wake of the challenges ahead, it is important for officers at all
levels to be united to cope with the changes positively and professionally.
In order to be responsive
to the challenges of a rapidly developing society and ever-increasing
demands of the public, our training focused on equipping officers
with the knowledge, skills and abilities to tackle a dynamic and
increasingly complex policing environment. Over the past year, we
embarked on a series of projects to re-prioritise, re-organise and
re-engineer our training services. A life-long learning culture
that encourages continuous professional development will continue
to be fostered.
Personnel Wing
A number of measures were introduced to streamline
the application and selection procedures for recruitment posts.
The public can with effect from October 2003 submit their applications
for Police posts on line. Under the Auxiliary (Undergraduate) Scheme
introduced in 2002, 73 undergraduates were successfully recruited,
completed their training and commenced their auxiliary service in
the Force in August 2003. A new scheme was introduced in December
allowing serving Junior Police Officers (JPOs) to directly apply
for the Recruit Inspector post through open recruitment.
The Discipline Section successfully implemented
the computerised Discipline Office Automation System (DOA), which
enhanced data storage and retrieval of all disciplinary cases. The
Section is looking forward to publishing the first Annual Force
Discipline Report. In an effort to continue to improve the appraisal
system and procedure, competency-based appraisal annual reports
for JPOs were introduced Force-wide in July 2003.
The Manpower Planning Section continued to
play a key role in assisting with the manpower planning of the Force
by providing the management with effective projections on wastage,
manpower demand and other manpower related data.
Consultation
As good staff relations and an effective consultative
system are of paramount importance to the efficient and effective
management of the Force, three channels were established to maintain
an open dialogue. They include the Junior Consultative Committee,
Senior Consultative Committee and Police Force Council. A series
of activities have been conducted jointly by the Staff Relations
Group and staff associations to enhance the understanding and support
between the Management and officers.
Personnel Services
In 2003, professionally trained Police Welfare
Officers at the six regional offices carried out 10 246 case interviews
and 4 167 home and hospital visits. A total of 1 861 new cases were
handled. The Psychological Services Group provided 2 375 consultations
to Force members. A series of promotional activities under the CARELINKS
2003 - Mental Health in the Workplace Campaign was also launched.
Personnel Services Branch operated a "Service
Centre - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)" in support
of frontline Police officers during the outbreak of the disease
from April to June. It aimed at providing one-stop service to Police
officers for welfare requests and enquiries arising from SARS.
Several initiatives were also launched to encourage
Force members to offer assistance to people in need. Volunteer services
were delivered to the handicapped, the elderly and the community
at large.
Training Wing
In 2003, Training Development Bureau launched
a three-year "Learning and Development" project to provide
learning opportunities for 3 400 junior rank officers in support
of the Government's policy on life-long learning and the Force-wide
programmes of enhancing service quality and professionalism. Such
opportunities include short local courses and visits to universities
and training institutes, aiming at improving officers' skills in
management and communication. Staff members were encouraged to take
up learning in their own time and if possible, the Force provided
subsidies.
In recognition of the Force's professionalism
in training, Interpol extended an invitation to the Force to co-host
the 15th Interpol Symposium for Heads of Police Training to be held
in Hong Kong in early 2005. For the first time the Force was also
invited to give a presentation on training at the 72nd Interpol
General Assembly, held in Spain during 2003. A Memorandum of Understanding
on e-Learning was signed by the Hong Kong Police Force and Singapore
Police Force in August 2003 to explore the joint development of
e-learning contents and systems.
Police Training School
The school provides foundation training in a
wide range of practical policing subjects to new recruits as well
as continuation and promotion training for JPOs. During the year,
a total of 644 new recruits attended foundation training and 5 235
JPOs undertook continuation training. The school also conducted
three tailor-made two-week Study Visit Courses for 53 public security
officials from various training establishments and provinces on
the Mainland.
The Police Band
The Band, comprising a Silver Band and a Pipe
section, plays an important role in public and community relations
programmes and fulfils over 550 engagements each year. During 2003,
the Band was invited to perform at major events overseas and in
Fujian, Shanghai and Beijing.
Other Training
In 2003, fundamental detective training was
provided to 429 Police and 33 officers from other disciplined forces
in Hong Kong and the Macao Judiciary Police. Advanced detective
training was given to 283 police officers while 311 Special Duty
Squad officers graduated from basic investigation courses.
The Higher Training Division continues to run
the three major developmental command courses for Inspectors, Chief
Inspectors and Superintendents. These courses were enhanced to incorporate
elements from the Strategic Action Plan of the Force with emphasis
on planning and managing change. Lessons learned from large-scale
Police operations were incorporated into the courses in order to
broaden the benefits for all frontline officers.
One of the priorities of the Weapons Training
Division is to ensure that weapons training concepts are in line
with international best practice. New technologies on crisis resolution
and resistance control training introduced in 2003 enabled the practical
use of Police tactics and the application of different levels of
realistic force at given scenarios.
In striving for excellence in driving, the Police
Driving School has long aimed at enhancing the professional driving
skills of officers. Constant and regular review of all driving syllabuses
will continue to be conducted in order to enhance the operational
efficiency and effectiveness of the driver cadre of the Force. |