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Selection Processes
Inspector
Selection Criteria If you wish to join as an Inspector, you must go through our selection processes. Candidates will be critically assessed on the following competences during the Inspectorate selection processes (i.e. the Written Examination, the Extended Interview, the Final Interview Board, Physical Fitness Test, Integrity Checks and Medical Examination):
Selection Processes
Written Examination (with effect from 2011-05-01) Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend the Written Examination as the first selection step for appointment to the post of Inspector. The Examination consists of four tests with a total of six papers. Candidates must pass the Written Examination in order to advance to subsequent selection processes.
Basic Law Test The BL test paper questions are set in both English and Chinese. It consists of 15 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 25 minutes. There is no passing mark set for the test and the full mark of the paper is 100. The result is of permanent validity. If an applicant has attended the BL test arranged by other recruiting bureaux/ departments or the one centrally administered by Civil Service Bureau, the applicant will be exempted from sitting the BL written test again and can use the previous test result as the basis of the BL score. The previous BL test result will be accepted only upon the production of the original notification letter when attending the Final Interview Board. The applicant may, if so wish, take the BL test again and in such case, the latest score obtained in the current application process will be counted. You may click here to browse through the website of the Civil Service Bureau for the sample questions, frequently asked questions and relevant information of the Basic Law Test. You may also send your enquiry to us by email at recruit@police.gov.hk.
An overall band score of 6.5 or above with no subtest score below band 6 obtained in the same sitting in the Academic Module of the IELTS within the 2-year validity period of the test is regarded as equivalent to 'Level 2' result in ‘Use of English’ paper of the CRE. Candidates possessing this qualification are also exempted from taking the ‘General English Test’ of the Written Examination. If candidates obtain a pass in any of the five papers, the result is of permanent validity for the purpose of application for the Inspector post in future. Competences Tested
Extended Interview(with effect from 2011-05-01) Candidates who pass the Written Examination will be further assessed in the Extended Interview. The Extended Interview is a one-day non-residential programme consisting of the following four exercises and is held at Police Headquarters. The language medium used in the Interview is English and Chinese (Cantonese) is adopted in certain assessment exercises.
1. Impromptu Talk Impromptu Talk means a talk without preparation. This is the first assessment exercise in which the candidates' oral expression in both English and Chinese are tested. It will also be seen whether a candidate can communicate effectively by expressing his / her thoughts in a logical way and whether they are confident in speaking before a group. In addition, candidates' ability to overcome the initial stress and think fast under the spotlight will be made apparent. Sample topic : Coward Competences Tested
2. Group Discussion Candidates will be given a subject to discuss in a group setting. Candidates should normally have some background knowledge of the discussion subject. It will be seen whether candidates can express their ideas and opinions logically whilst at the same time absorbing others' points of view. When candidates present their arguments, it will be assessed whether they have the confidence to explain them and stand up for them if appropriate, perhaps in the face of disagreement and opposition. At the same time candidates should be on the watch out to maintain an open mind, showing flexibility and modifying the stance when the situation so dictates. Lastly, if candidates are unnecessarily aggressive or over reticent, this will affect the interpersonal rapport which they establish with other group members. Sample topic: Should Hong Kong develop casino industry? Competences Tested
3. Management Exercise Candidates will be placed in a committee type situation and given a management problem or a crisis situation, which they have to analyze and solve within a given time limit. The assessors will allow candidates some time to digest the given materials and to write down individual proposal / solution in solving the given problem. Afterwards, all candidates will discuss and agree on the course of action to solve the problem / crisis. Whilst interacting with others in the group, candidates need to demonstrate their abilities to appreciate the problem, identify possible solutions, put forward ideas and to co-ordinate and organise the input of others to work towards the best solution to the given problem. No leader is designated and there is more to the exercise than merely setting up a committee. As in the Group Discussion, an over aggressive, inflexible attitude is not entirely appropriate. Candidates' interpersonal skills and communication ability are being assessed as well as their abilities to solve problems, make decisions and influence the other candidates. Sample scenario (English Only): Rumours 1.It all started with a simple story. A tourist named Ranji was travelling through Vasco, a South American rural city on vacation in the early spring of 2005. Ranji had with him a common tourist bag with camera and personal utensils. In addition, Ranji had a guidebook, which said that a splendid view of the Tono waterfall could be seen from a scenic spot on the Vasco's hilltop. Ranji stopped in the town centre to ask for the direction. Just by coincidence, he was coughing when he related his question to a local villager who was the son of the village's elder clansman. After being shown the direction, Ranji proceeded to the hilltop, seen the spectacular waterfall and took some pictures. Before alighting from the hill, he felt so hot that he took off his shirt, washed his face and used a facial towel to wipe clean his body on the stream leading from the waterfall. Another indigenous villager named Adolf witnessed the incident and mistook Ranji as swimming in the stream. 2. The same evening a meeting was due comprising all clan members of the village. The son of the elder's clansman was sitting next to his father who was conducting the meeting. After finishing the usual business, the son suddenly uttered that he encountered a stranger with dark skin and black hair in the afternoon that was coughing. Adolf then added he saw a dark skinned man dressing and wiping his face next to the waterfall. In the ensuing discussion, Ranji was portrayed as an outsider that might carry a contagious disease threatening the well being of the clan and the entire village as well. As soon as the meeting dispersed, gossip spread around. The rumour was further levelled and sharpened. It was distorted that the village water system was contaminated and that 30% of the villagers carried a mysterious virus. News started to spread via ICQ in the Internet. 3 Irrational fears in the village caused more and more panic. Villagers crowded the grocery stores for daily necessities. Others were adamant that the waterfall had been contaminated and the stream water was unsuitable for consumption. A significant number of clansmen fled from the village. The resulting socio-economic order was severely disrupted. Opportunists took the chance to commit quick cash crimes such as burglaries against deserted properties and robberies on villagers carrying large amount of cash hoping to exchange for daily necessities. The local government is considering imposing martial law to restore law and order. 4. You are a group of public relations advisers to the local Vasco Government. You have been assigned to devise a Public Relations Strategy in tackling this crisis. You are all equal and no voting is allowed in coming to different options / alternatives. Competences Tested
4. Leadership Exercise Candidates will be assigned as leaders of a small team and required to lead them to complete a physical task at the Practical Leadership Exercise Room at Police Headquarters. The task may involve taking the leader to reach a designated location and / or perform some jobs.
The assessor will conduct a verbal English briefing containing all pertinent aspects of the assessment exercise to the assigned leader.
The leader will be given writing materials (pen and paper) to take notes. Candidate will be given time to clarify if he / she understands the content of the briefing.
The assigned leader will then be given time to formulate his/her plan, check the equipment, exercise area and prepare his / her own briefing to team members. It is up to the leader to direct his / her team to carry out the task. After briefing team members in English, the leader may use either English or Cantonese during the execution phase of the Practical Leadership Exercise.
Depending on the requirement of the task and the composition of team members, leaders may or may not involve themselves in the execution. A competent leader should choose the right person for the right job, taking into account the physical and mental strengths of his / her team. Attitudes such as determination and inclination to lead will become readily apparent as will the leader's ability to command and control. Team members are also being assessed during other candidates' practical leadership tests. If you are a positive and helpful team member, this will enhance your own overall performance. Sample task : Bring the team from the starting to the finishing point without touching the hurdles. Competences Tested
The mark you obtained in the above assessment exercises will be added up to form a total EI mark. Candidates achieving a satisfactory result in the EI will be invited to continue with the remaining selection processes. Firstly, candidates will attend a selection interview by the Final Interview Board. Secondly, candidates will undergo a Physical Fitness Test. Last but not least, candidates will be invited to attend Medical Examination and Integrity Checking. With effect from 2010-04-01, applicants for the post of Probationary Inspectors will sit for the Psychometric Test before they attend the Final Interview Board in recruitment exercise. The Test will be conducted through three sets of paper-and-pencil test and it will take about three hours to complete. The Test aims at providing additional information on the applicant’s cognitive abilities, emotional resilience and personality traits to Final Interview Board in recruitment exercise. There is no pass or failure for the Test. It will not be used as a tool to screen in or screen out a candidate and will only be used as a reference. Candidates who have successfully passed the Extended Interview will be invited to attend a Final Interview Board on another day. The Board is chaired by a Senior Superintendent of Police with two Superintendents of Police as members. The Board will ask questions to further assess the abilities of the candidate such as leadership potential, motivation, values and personality, communication, judgment, general knowledge and management potential. The interview will last for about 45 minutes and is held at Police Headquarters, Wanchai. Please see the Fitness for details. Integrity Checks and Medical Examination On passing the Final Interview Board, Integrity Checking will be conducted and applicants will be required to attend a Medical Examination. The whole recruitment process will take at least 16 weeks depending on the number of applicants. On completion of the recruitment and vetting processes, you will be informed of the result of your application. Appointment will be offered to those candidates found most suitable for the post of Inspector subject to vacancies arise. The following flow-chart will show you the selection process for an Inspector. | ▼ Written Examination | ▼ Extended Interview | ▼ Psychometric Test | ▼ Final Interview Board | ▼ Physical Fitness Test | ▼ Integrity Checks | ▼ Medical Examination | ▼ Consideration for Appointment | ▼ Offer of Appointment Police Constable Selection Criteria If you wish to join as Constable, you must go through our selection processes. Candidates will be critically assessed on the following competencies during the selection processes (i.e. the Preliminary Assessment and the Final Interview):
Selection Processes
1. Physical Fitness Test Candidates must pass the Physical Fitness Test before they will be arranged to attend the Group Interview. The test will take around half a day at the Police College. Please refer to the Fitness for details. 2. Group Interview (with effect from 2011-05-01) After passing the Physical Fitness Test, candidates will be arranged to attend a half-day Group Interview on another day. The Group Interview consists of three components, i.e. “Practical Incident Handling Test”, ”Self-introduction” and “Group Discussion”. The “Practical Incident Handling Test” is a practical job-related test based on the genuine job needs of a Police Constable. It serves to assess, amongst other things, the candidates’ communication ability in both Chinese and English languages, judgment and fact-finding ability. Candidates will be required to view two videos relating to a police-related incident in a group setting during the Group Interview. They will be allowed to view each video twice and to jot notes. The “Practical Incident Handling Test “ will be divided into two parts as follows :-
During the “Self-Introduction”, all candidates will give a self-introduction in a group setting to the interviewers, who will then ask some follow-up questions and questions on current affairs and / or police related subjects as an initial assessment of general knowledge. Additional scores will be awarded to candidates with foreign language skills such as Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, Tagalog, French, German, Korean or Japanese and so on at Group Interview but Putonghua or English will not be counted for this purpose. Their written and oral proficiency will be tested with the help of an interpreter. Candidates claiming knowledge of foreign languages skills are required to additionally complete Part I of the “Practical Incident Handling Test” in that foreign language. Candidates will also be tested on their verbal proficiency in that foreign language during “self-introduction” through an interpreter. After the “Self-Introduction”, candidates will attend a “Group Discussion” on local current affairs or Force related issues as directed by the interviewers. The “Self-Introduction” and the “Group Discussion” are for assessing candidates’ communication ability, judgement, general knowledge and confidence in a group setting. Psychometric Test With effect from 2010-04-01, applicants for the post of Recruit Police Constables will sit for the Psychometric Test before they attend the Final Interview Board in recruitment exercise. The Test will be conducted through three sets of paper-and-pencil test and it will take about three hours to complete. The Test aims at providing additional information on the applicant’s cognitive abilities, emotional resilience and personality traits to Final Interview Board in recruitment exercise. There is no pass or failure for the Test. It will not be used as a tool to screen in or screen out a candidate and will only be used as a reference. Final Interview Board (with effect from 2011-05-01) After passing the Group Interview, candidates will attend a Final Interview Board on another day. The interview is chaired by two police officers. Candidates will be asked questions on current affairs and other police-related issues to assess their confidence, judgment, expression, communication, analytical ability, resource management and determination to serve the community.
Basic Law Test All applicants applying for Police Constable from 1 September 2008 onwards will be assessed on their Basic Law (BL) Knowledge. After passing the Final Interview Board, candidates should take the BL test on the same day. The test result will be one of the considerations to assess the suitability of a candidate. The BL test paper questions are set in both English and Chinese. It consists of 15 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 25 minutes. There is no passing mark set for the test and the full mark of the paper is 100. The result is of permanent validity. If an applicant has attended the BL test arranged by other recruiting bureaux/ departments or the one centrally administered by Civil Service Bureau, the applicant will be exempted from sitting the BL written test again and can use the previous test result as the basis of the BL score. The previous BL test result will be accepted only upon the production of the original notification letter when attending the Final Interview Board. The applicant may, if so wish, take the BL test again and in such case, the latest score obtained in the current application process will be counted. You may click here to browse through the website of the Civil Service Bureau for the sample questions, frequently asked questions and relevant information of the Basic Law Test. You may also send your enquiry to us by email at recruit@police.gov.hk.Integrity Checks and Medical Examination After passing the Final Interview Board, candidates will attend Integrity Checks and Medical Examination. Appointment The whole recruitment process is expected to last for at least 14 weeks, depending on the number of applicants. On completion of all the recruitment and vetting processes, you will be informed of the result of your application. Appointment will be offered to those candidates found most suitable for the post of Constable, subject to vacancies arise. The following flow-chart will show you the selection process for Constable. | ▼ Physical Fitness Test | ▼ Group Interview | ▼ Psychometric Test | ▼ Final Interview Board | ▼ Integrity Checks | ▼ Medical Examination | ▼ Consideration for Appointment | ▼ Offer of Appointment |
