Customer Satisfaction Survey
Continuous improvement in the face of rising expectations
The Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSS) and Force Public Opinion Survey are important tools for the Force to gauge public satisfaction with its Police Force and to identify aspects of our services that need to improve. Given that the last CSS survey was completed in 2002, Senior Force Management directed that further exercises be carried out between August and September 2005.
In order that CSS be carried out under conditions of absolute impartiality, HKPF commissioned the University of Hong Kong's Public Opinion Programme, led by Dr Robert Chung Ting-yiu, to conduct the exercise.
In total, 1,024 telephone interviews were conducted. The respondents were informants, victims of crime and witnesses, aged 18 or above, who had contacted Police between May and July 2005, through the following main channels: visiting a Report Room; dialling 999; visiting a crime office; contacting Police at the scene of an incident or phoning a police station. A mean score was awarded to the Force for various attributes. A score of 5 indicated respondents were 'very satisfied' while 1 illustrated respondents were 'very dissatisfied'.
The Force scored well in the survey and when compared with the findings of 2002, improvements were registered in general. Eight out of ten respondents were satisfied with their overall experience of dealing with the Police, which manifested itself in a mean score of 3.95 out of 5, an improvement on the 3.91 effort of 1992. Respondents rated the performance of the 999 consoles as the most impressive of the five channels of police-public contact analysed. Indeed, the Force received a mean score of 4.23 for the overall way 999 calls were handled.
Other areas of improvement were in the Report Room where a mean score of 3.88 was achieved for officers' on-the-job knowledge, representing a jump from 3.76 in 2002. A score of 3.87 was recorded for the clarity of information that officers provide in the Report Room, an increase over 2002, when a score of 3.73 was achieved. Improvements in the way cases were handled in the Report Room were sustained in 2005 with a score of 3.98, up from 3.91 in 2002.
Further improvement was also seen in the public-police interface at the scene of incidents, where a mean score of 4.07 was recorded. This represents an increase on 2002 levels, when a score of 3.95 was attained.
However, there were areas of concern which although not problematic do require attention in the light of our pledge to achieve service excellence. The Force scored 3.49 for the "sense of ease" provided by the environment of the Criminal Investigation Office, which represents a drop when compared with a score of 3.71, in 2002. In addition, there was a slight decline, from 3.78 in 2002 to 3.76 this year, with the fairness officers demonstrated in handling cases. The Force will examine these issues.
Dr Chung also oversaw the first public opinion survey commissioned by the Force in 2001. The target respondents in this exercise were much broader than the CSS, with telephone interviews with randomly selected Cantonese speaking persons aged 18 or above. Although the potential respondents were from a much wider spectrum, the results were equally encouraging.
Respondents said they have "much confidence in the HKPF" which represented a mean score of 4.13, which was an improvement over the 3.78 in 2001. Also, respondents were asked in this survey to rate the overall performance of the Force, using a scale of 0-100. Zero meant extremely bad; while 100 indicated extremely good. The Force received a mean score of 74.9, an increase on the 70.4 received in 2001.
Furthermore, perceptions of safety during the day received a mean score of 4.24, an increase on the 3.96 attained in 2001. At night, however, that figure declines to 3.79, which although an increase over the 2001 score of 3.44, requires further examination.
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the two surveys was the rising expectations of the people in Hong Kong. In the 2001 public opinion survey, 32 per cent of respondents had no opinion on Police performance. The 2005 survey saw a dramatic shift in this trend, with only 8 per cent now expressing no opinion. Fundamentally, this means that HKPF is now operating in an environment of rising expectations but still managing to improve in key performance areas; this is no mean achievement.
"These are excellent results," commented Mr Mike Dowie, Director of Management Services. "These results represent the public pulse and indicate a growing awareness on the part of the public of what to expect from a quality Police Force. These findings are taken very seriously by the Force. They validate our efforts at improving the service we provide to the people of Hong Kong. However, we will not be complacent over these results and will continuously strive to identify further areas of improvement and act to implement new strategies. Let me assure members of the public that all our professionalism will be devoted to keeping Hong Kong one of the safest and most stable societies in the world and meeting peoples' growing expectations."
Service Quality Wing will shortly issue a communication plan to advise all officers of the results. The key findings of the CSS will also be uploaded to POINT.
