The OCTB was commended for "teamwork and outstanding performance during the fight against organised crime and triad activity in 2002 and 2003 culminating in the detection of a number of serious and violent crimes".

In a similar vein, the CIB was commended for "teamwork and outstanding performance in the development and implementation of an intelligence led policing strategy that achieved success against triad activity and organised crime" over the same period of time.

In an interview with OffBeat, OCTB Chief Superintendent Mr Fung Kin-man, and CIB Senior Superintendent Mr Fan Sik-ming, shared with our readers their keys to successes.

Both of them said all their staff rejoiced at the commendation and that the award would motivate them to work harder.

Mr Fung told OffBeat: "It's an honour for everyone in the OCTB to have received the commendation. We're very glad that the work and achievements of the bureau in the past two years have been recognised by the Commissioner and the Force.

"Over the past two years, we had been following the Commissioner's Operational Targets to maintain the fight against violent crime and triad-related violence and are pleased to see fruitful results.

"Tackling serious crime is never easy. The keys to do this are paying attention to every detail, patience, co-operation, professionalism and relentless effort in tracing every clue."

OCTB and CIB work hand in hand in combating crime, with the latter acting as a centre for intelligence analysis.

Mr Fan said: "The success of each operation isn't the effort of just one or two individual officers. Every one in the bureau took part in operations. The Commissioner's commendation is an encouragement for every one, no matter they have participated in operations directly or indirectly. It's especially so as our work may not be easily seen by outsiders.

"Sometimes, officers may have great satisfaction over an arrest they have made. But many other colleagues working in the same case for months might not be at the scene to share this feeling. This Formation Commendation enables all colleagues, who have taken part in operations at different times, to share the honour."

Selection Criteria

Award of commendation can be initiated directly by the Commissioner or any Senior Directorate Group member. A Formation Commander may also put up recommendation through the Major Formation Commander (MFC) and appropriate Programme Manager for consideration. Likewise, MFCs may recommend a Formation for the commendation through their Programme Manager.

A recommending officer should consider the following points when making a recommendation:

(a) Justification for commendation should be considered from a broad perspective. Given crime or operation oriented achievements are easier to quantify, administrative and management accomplishments of a Formation/Unit should not be overlooked;

(b) Due to the diverse natures of Formations and Units within the Force, it would be appropriate for respective Programme Managers to determine a reasonable time period to assess the performance of Formations/Units under their command;

(c) In the case of a single incident, recommendation for commendation is to be submitted as soon as possible and not later than three months after the incident upon which the recommendation is based, and

(d) In the event of a Formation/Unit being nominated for good performance in connection with a crime-related matter, an award should await the conclusion of related court cases and appeals.

CIB's good teamwork and performance have gained recognition

OCTB has been commended for teamwork and outstanding performance in the fight against organised crime and triad activities