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With a view to enhancing frontline crime officers’ professionalism in trial preparation and giving testimony in court, Crime Sau Mau Ping District (CRM SMPDIST) organised three half-day sessions of in-house training on trial preparation on October 5, 7 and 8 with the attendance of over 80 SMPDIST crime officers.
The training was conducted by Chief Inspector (Administration and Support) of CRM SMPDIST Wong Shu-bong, who was a veteran instructor of the Detective Training Centre (DTC). Held at the mock court facilities of DTC, the training comprised a seminar on recent acquitted cases and a practical mock trial exercise aiming to refresh and enhance crime officers’ professional ability in giving evidence in court. Officers with less court experience were assigned to play the role of prosecution witnesses and led by a prosecutor to give evidence, and subjected to cross-examination by the defence. The exercise enabled the participants to experience the challenges and pressure during trial and gain a better understanding of the responsibility of a prosecution witness.
The participating officers opined that the training had deepened their understanding of the role of prosecution witnesses and enhanced their ability in case handling and giving evidence. A Detective Police Constable said that preparation was of extreme importance for giving evidence in court and the sharing of acquitted cases had enhanced his understanding of the role and responsibility of a prosecution witness. A Detective Sergeant said the training had strengthened the professional ability of crime officers, especially junior officers with less experience in crime investigation work. CRM SMPDIST is exploring the feasibility in providing similar in-house training to their uniformed counterparts in future.
