1 Photo
Since November 2020, the Hong Kong Police College (HKPC) has arranged for four experienced Superintendents to teach the subject of “Social Studies in Policing” for the Recruit Police Constable Foundation Training Course. The revamped curriculum focuses on the study of society and humanity, with the objective of enabling recruits to reflect on social changes through history and world views, and to understand the police-public interactions based on evidence and theories in sociology, criminology and psychology.
The revamped subject comprises 16 topics under four modules, with a total of 65 hours of training. The subject covers contemporary topics such as globalisation, identity issues in a divided society, police-media interactions and policing diversity. It also includes classical policing models, police history and culture, as well as police legitimacy, discretion and accountability. It offers a wealth of activities through classroom teaching and experiential learning to better equip the recruits for performing police duties in the rapidly changing society.
The teaching team consists of four Superintendents from different divisions within HKPC and four Station Sergeants who assist in practical exercises. The team monitors the relevancy of the course materials and adjust their teaching methods on a regular basis. Each superintendent has their own unique teaching approach. Superintendent of Junior Police Officers Development Learning Division Wong Cham-sum believes that through sharing experience of practical work, the recruits can better understand the roles of the police force in the Hong Kong society. Superintendent of Learning Projects Division Ko Mei-yee hopes to disseminate hard knowledge by soft approach through appropriate classroom design. Superintendent of Police Operational Learning Division Lee Kwok-chung likes to use live examples to explain theories and emphasises the principles of lawfulness, fairness and reasonableness in exercising police power and discretionary power. Superintendent of Learning Services Division Chan Ching-sum uses local cases to illustrate theories in criminology and shares her experiences in Operation TIDERIDER to explain policing challenges in a highly divided society.
Trainees who have recently completed the course commented that the four Superintendents have rich experiences in policing work and they enumerated different cases based on personal experiences and explained the application of policing theories in a lively way. The role play exercises in tutorials, class discussions and debates also provided them with the opportunities to experience the pressure and challenges police officers face when discharging duties, thereby better preparing them for future frontline work.
