The Force has in place governance and robust accountability systems to ensure it meets the needs of the community in upholding the rule of law. As a professional police organisation, we operate within a framework of transparency, responsiveness, effectiveness and efficiency and community engagement to ensure the best interests of the community are served.

The governance of the Force starts with the Commissioner and the Senior Directorate Group (SDG) comprising the Deputy Commissioners and the programme directors at the rank of Senior Assistant Commissioners. Besides policy direction, the Commissioner and the SDG have the function to oversee all police functions. Policy direction is cascaded down to frontline commanders and beat officers through the Controlling Officer's Report (COR)1, the Strategic Action Plan (SAP) and the Commissioner's Operational Priorities (COP). As we shall see, our daily policing activities follow Force policy direction in the form of regional, district and divisional plans.

1 Controlling Officer is responsible and accountable for all expenditure and for all public moneys and Government property of his/ her department. The Commissioner of Police is the Controlling Officer of the Force.

COR is an annual exercise reporting the progress on major programme areas to the Legislative Council (Legco) as the basis for budgetary allocation in the next financial year. The document outlines past and current major projects, achievements and progress, and key performance indicators. Legco members will be able to scrutinise departmental expenditure on the basis of what has been achieved over the year. COR dovetails SAP and also serves as the basis for Force management to revisit priorities in the light of past achievements and a focal point for formulating future policies.

SAP is a three-year plan that is regularly monitored by the SDG and revised every 18 months. It contains both operational and management priorities over a three-year period and is formulated by the Commissioner and the SDG collectively in consultation with major formation commanders. Prior to that, consultation with the community takes place at the regional, district and division levels, where commanders work closely with fight crime committees and local district councils and collect their views on policing issues.

COP is a yearly document that sets out the policing priorities for the year and is to be implemented by frontline duties. On the basis of the broad principles laid down in the COP, regions formulate their regional operational priorities while districts and divisions have their own district policing plans and divisional activity plans.

Senior management reviews organisational performance monthly, quarterly, half-yearly and annually on crime trend/statistics, road safety and complaints, and projects into the future policing landscape. There are also meetings of programme directors to review progress in their own programme areas.

The Force has a flexible financial system, where allocations from the government are placed in a single vote and funds can be transferred among different accounts without the need for approval outside the Force. In other words, within this global budget the Force is given autonomy and flexibility in deploying the funds among the various categories of expenses and redirecting saved resources to new commitments. The Commissioner, however, is to ensure sound financial management and prudence in budgeting and expenditure, knowing fully well that no new moneys will be available and the Force is expected to operate within its means.

The Force is given a high degree of operational autonomy. Notwithstanding this, it is accountable to the Chief Executive, the Legislative Council, the Executive Council, and the public.

The Legislative Council scrutinises Force policy through the Panel on Security and monitors financial situations through the Finance Committee and the Public Accounts Committee. The Commissioner of Police reports to the Security Panel at the beginning of each year and bimonthly to the Executive Council on policing issues. The Commissioner's Operational Priorities, regional and district priorities are also discussed at District Council and District Fight Crime Committee meetings. The Director of Operations and the Director of Crime and Security meet the media on mid-year crime trend while District Commanders report to District Councils and DFCC on the measures taken on these priorities.

Community organisations and community leaders, including the District Council, the District Fight Crime Committees, the Heung Yee Kuk and rural committees, represent the voice of the community and liaise with the Force on local demands. Through them and the media, the Force keeps pace with the pulse of the community. The Police Public Relations Bureau monitors public opinion and addresses matters of public interest. Officers are accountable for their own actions, decisions, conduct and discipline. They are to ensure that they fulfil all their responsibilities and are up to the standards stipulated in Police General Orders, Headquarters Orders, Force Procedures Manual, and Force circulars.

The Force has its own internal disciplinary and complaints investigation mechanism. The Complaints and Internal Investigation Branch comprises the Complaints Against Police Office (CAPO) and the Internal Investigation Office (IIO). Besides public complaints of misconduct and allegations of crime against members of the Force, CAPO also investigates public complaints of defects in police administrative, procedural or operational methods. IIO conducts accountability studies and initiates internal investigation into alleged breach of discipline.

As a means to regenerate its organisational processes and work practices, formal inspections are undertaken regularly by Service Quality Wing and Police Internal Audit Division while commanders at all levels conduct their own supervisory checks.

These Force inspections are conducted at different levels. At formation level, inspections focus on issues relevant to the Commissioner's priorities, formation plans implemented under SAP, local issues, good practices, use of human resources, value for money and accountability. At Headquarters level, inspections address Force priorities, policy setting and implementation, communication and monitoring mechanisms as well as generic areas like 'leadership', 'people', and 'process'. Thematic inspections as directed by SDG examine any area of concern that may adversely impact the operations and management of the Force while compliance inspections help the Force management ensure compliance with Force and Government policies, procedures, laws and regulations.

Further Reading

* Bruce, Andrew. "Ten years of the Bill of Rights and the ICCPR in Criminal Proceedings"

www.hku.hk/ccpl/pub/conderences

* Cheung, Jocelyn (2005) "Police Accountability" in The Police Journal Volume 78 No 1 (2005) (Available in the Force Library)

* Force Procedures Manual Chapter 68 "Force Strategic Management Framework"

"Policing in Hong Kong" Report Series 3 of 11