[ Foreword ] [ Memorable Events ] [ The Hand of Partnership ] [ Operations ] [ Regional Commanders' Report ] [ Personnel and Training ]
[ Management Services ]
[ Finance, Administration and Planning ] [ Environmental Report ] [ Organisation ]
[ Appendices ]
The Force puts great efforts into recruiting high calibre candidates and providing its staff members with suitable staff development opportunities. The aim is to ensure that all staff members are capable of advancing the Force's strategic directions and carrying out their duties in the most professional manner possible. Force members are also encouraged to participate in voluntary activities and undertake social responsibility initiatives in their spare time.
The large-scale, widespread and persistent social unrest that broke out in early June 2019 put the Force's operational capability and flexibility to the sternest test. However, its comprehensive human resources strategy and its robust human resources systems enabled the Force to mobilise additional resources to deal with the public disorder, while still delivering quality police services to the public.
In the face of an ageing population, a shrinking labour force and a high number of expected retirees in the next 10 years, the Force has implemented various measures to retain talent in the future. These include implementation of the Final Extension of Service Scheme, the Further Employment Scheme, the Post-retirement Service Contract Scheme (PRSC), and the option to retire at 60 for disciplined officers who joined the Government between June 1, 2000 and May 31, 2015. In August, the Force also launched the PRSC (Police Staff) Scheme. This scheme has been successful in retaining over a thousand competent retired or retiring police officers for the purposes of carrying out full constabulary duties and supporting frontline officers.
The Force is dedicated to offering comprehensive and effective support to its staff members in carrying out their jobs. In addition to the wide range of recurrent support measures it provides them, this year the Force also allocated extra supporting resources for frontline officers during Operation TIDERIDER.
These measures, launched by the Conditions of Service and Discipline Branch, included introducing special arrangements for management of overtime and leave, providing appropriate allowances, implementing the PRSC (Police Staff) Scheme, appointing Special Constables, carrying out security enhancements at police quarters and specifically obtaining injunctions restraining outsiders from causing nuisance or damage to 21 Police Married Quarters and Disciplined Services Quarters.
As part of the Grade Structure Review exercise for the Disciplined Services Grades, the Force Management presented a detailed written submission to the Standing Committee on Disciplined Services Salaries and Conditions of Service (SCDS) in March. The submission reflected on the uniqueness, complexity and diversity of police work, and recommended that these special factors be recognised in the development of a fair police pay package. Visits to frontline units were also arranged for SCDS members. Later, the Force Management provided a supplementary submission to the SCDS highlighting the need for additional measures to address certain fundamental and urgent operational and staffing issues arising from the experience gained from Operation TIDERIDER from June onwards.
The WeCare Project of the Welfare Services Group continued to offer care and support to officers who have experienced serious illness or injury. A lunch seminar on cardiac disease was held at Police Headquarters (PHQ) in April to raise Force members’ awareness of the importance of cardiac health. A counselling group was organised for officers injured on duty during Operation TIDERIDER. Three canine ‘pet doctors’ were also invited to the staging area of the PHQ, where frontline police officers could interact with them in ways that helped reduce stress. Twenty officers who were injured in the line of duty during Operation TIDERIDER were arranged to receive advanced medical treatment at private hospitals or specialist clinics.
The Neighbourhood Volunteer Scheme continued to organise volunteer services both within the Force and in the wider community. A volunteer service preparing lunch boxes for those in need was held at the Food For Good Yau Tong Community Kitchen in June. Five parent-child workshops on pastel painting and mindful painting were organised at Police Married Quarters during Operation TIDERIDER, aimed at relieving residents’ stress and promoting positive family relationships in the face of the social unrest.
The Psychological Services Group (PSG) initiated the psychological wellness promotion campaign HERO (HEalthy and Resilient Officer), aiming to help staff build resilience in the face of adversity. HERO embraces four key goals, namely fostering a healthy body and a healthy mind, a resilient mindset, social connections, and the act of meaningmaking in our officers. Pamphlets and calendars were distributed to Force members to promote the wellness campaign.
In support of Operation TIDERIDER, the PSG broadened its counselling services to provide psychological support to officers’ families. Workshops were set up to help officers give their children appropriate support during the social movement. Emotion regulation kits (each with a story book and a set of four emoji balls) were distributed as Christmas gifts for police families with children under 12. The PSG also organised various stress-releasing activities in staging areas under the Stand By You programme, including activities incorporating techniques from the expressive arts and mindfulness exercises to help frontline officers coping with their stressful and challenging work.
The PSG continued to run the Decoding MH (mental health) campaign introduced in 2018, and launched a mobile app to offer a convenient platform providing members with easy access to information on mental health issues and on ways to seek help.
To facilitate influenza vaccinations for frontline officers during Operation TIDERIDER, arrangements were made for a medical institute to provide vaccination services at various police premises including the PHQ, regional headquarters and divisional police stations. In 2019, over 3,400 officers benefited from 31 sessions of the group vaccination service.
Individuals from different sections of the community provided a range of voluntary services to Force members during Operation TIDERIDER. These included over 40 Chinese medicine consultations, chiropractor consultations and massage treatment sessions for pain relief, 15 haircutting sessions, and three breathing exercise sessions. To express gratitude to frontline officers for their work, senior management of the Force organised three Thank You Receptions in which over 1,000 officers participated.
A Directorate Officer sharing his personal experience of commanding in Operation TIDERIDER.
Security measures that included installing additional physical barriers at police quarters were taken to eliminate security loopholes.
Security measures that included installing additional physical barriers at police quarters were taken to eliminate security loopholes.
The Chairman of the Junior Police Officers Association Lam Chi-wai (right) exchanging views with the Chairman of the SCDS Dr Chui Hong-sheung (left).
This tactical demonstration of a riot scenario was conducted for members of the SCDS to illustrate the dangers and challenges facing officers on the front line.
Frontline officers de-stress by interacting with one of the canine ‘pet doctors’.
Two children participated in a parent-child workshop held at police quarters.
Calendars promoting psychological wellness printed by the Psychological Services Group.
The psychological wellness promotion campaign HERO (HEalthy and Resilient Officer) initiated by the Psychological Services Group to help staff build resilience in the face of adversity.
Emotion regulation kits containing a story book and four emoji balls were distributed to police families with children under 12.
During Operation TIDERIDER, individuals from the community provided Chinese medicine consultations, chiropractor consultations and massage treatment for pain relief for Force members.
In 2019, the Force once again received the 10 Years Plus Caring Organisation Logo from the Hong Kong Council of Social Service in recognition of its contributions to caring for the community, its employees, and the environment over the past 14 years. The Personnel Wing is continuing to proactively promote a healthy and caring culture, both within the Force and beyond it.
With regard to community work, the Hong Kong Police Volunteer Services Corps once again received the Gold Award for Volunteer Service from the Social Welfare Department for the outstanding contributions of its 33 volunteer teams. Individual, group and family volunteers were presented with a total of 157 gold, 131 silver and 214 bronze awards in 2019.
Many members of the Force also participated in a series of charity events in their spare time, which included the Hong Kong Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics and the Po Leung Kuk Charity Walk.
In 2019, 656 units of blood were collected at blood donation activities, while 116 officers registered for organ donation. A total of 134,398 kg of clothing, toys, computers and electrical appliances were collected for the Salvation Army, with re-sale proceeds going to the needy.
On two consecutive weekends in January 2019, the Hong Kong Police Force 175th Anniversary Open Day was held at the Hong Kong Police College (HKPC) with great success. The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, officiated at the opening ceremony. The event attracted over 35,000 visitors and featured a variety of activities and performances, including a grand performance by eight police elite teams, and displays of virtual and 3D videos on the history of Hong Kong and of the Force shown at ‘Studio ImmerXe’.
In connection with the anniversary, Hongkong Post issued a special stamp set on ‘Our Police Force’ featuring police themes including Boundary Security, Crime Investigation and Detection, Cultural Diversity and Equal Opportunity, Police Training, International Collaboration, and Traffic Management. The Force also published a commemorative book titled ‘Hong Kong Police Force 175th Anniversary – From Strength to Strength Serving with Pride and Care’. The book’s four chapters covered the themes of Commitment, Courage, Professionalism and Caring. Mobile applications of this commemorative book enabled readers to view videos, photo albums and 3D models through augmented reality technology, and a virtual journey game explored the history of the Force. This book won the Honors Award in the Special Events - Anniversary category of the 2019/2020 Mercury Awards.
The year 2019 was one in which the HKPC worked hard to achieve Programme Area Accreditation (PAA) status. It underwent a series of rigorous assessments and stringent interviews by an independent panel comprising international accreditation experts formed by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications. The result was a new triumph for the HKPC within the Vocational and Professional Education and Training sector, as it became the first non-tertiary education institution and government department with PAA status, commencing January 2020. With this status, the HKPC has the ability to operate Qualifications Framework recognised learning programmes in the programme area of Law Enforcement and Security Studies up to Level 5.
The Force has implemented Knowledge Management (KM) with the aim of creating innovative and collaborative synergies with other stakeholders. This year it received the highest accolade in the field of KM when it was awarded the first Global Most Innovative Knowledge Enterprise (MIKE) Award (Most Outstanding Winner), making it one of just 16 organisations selected as Winners by world experts on knowledge management and innovation. The Force will continue to pursue its KM strategic plan, with the aid of technology, to help build the Force as a knowledge-based organisation.
In 2019, the Force was again honoured as a Manpower Developer by the Employees Retraining Board, in recognition of the Force’s commitment to and strong performance in its training and development efforts.
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