Personnel and Training

     During 2002, the Personnel and Training Department continued to strive for excellence in managing our human resources effectively, whilst addressing a wide variety of challenges in maintaining an efficient and professional Force. A comprehensive range of welfare and support services continued to be provided to those in need. Completion of the competency-based performance management system for officers between Inspector and Superintendent rank was well received, and continued progress was made in fostering a culture of continuous learning among our officers to meet the challenges of an evolving, knowledge-based society.

     For the year ahead, one of our main objectives will be the developing of the Police College as a Centre of Excellence in Police Training. A further extensive Force-wide consultation in regard to the ongoing 'Task Force Review of Civil Service Pay Policy and Systems' can be expected. Finally, to reinforce the healthy relationship between Force Management and the Staff Associations, an activity plan is being drawn up to strengthen the 'partnership culture' between the two sides.

Personnel Wing

     Personnel Wing strives to keep abreast of the latest techniques and adopt new ideas in human resources management with a view to ensuring continuous improvement in all areas.

     During the year, we developed a computerised bilingual appraisal form for junior police officers (JPOs) in order to improve communications as well as to help officers to identify competency gaps and training needs. A structured selection mechanism to select the best qualified JPOs to attend Overseas and Mainland courses significantly increased JPOs' career development opportunities. The Electronic Discipline Manual and the creation of a Discipline Cases Library greatly facilitated easy retrieval of case references and previous judgements. The Discipline Unit will in future build on the strength of the current IT and Knowledge Management initiatives with a view to serving the needs of frontline officers in disciplinary matters.

     To enable the Force to deliver quality service and to meet the demands for multi-skilled police officers, Recruitment Group introduced a Preliminary Assessment process in the form of a brief interview for constable applicants. Manpower Planning Section further enhanced its capability in forecasting advance manpower demands by providing efficient database tools to assist in manpower deployment and resource management.

Consultation

     As good staff relations and an effective consultative system are of paramount importance to the efficient and effective management of the Force, three channels have been established to maintain an open dialogue.They include the Junior Consultative Committee, Senior Consultative Committee and Police Force Council.

Personnel Services

     The Personnel Services Branch offers comprehensive welfare and support services to improve the quality of life for police officers and their families. In 2002, professionally trained Police Welfare Officers at the six regional offices carried out 9,198 case interviews and 6,096 home and hospital visits. A total of 1,625 new cases were handled.

     Education programmes to promote harmonious family life and support groups for health-impaired officers were organised regularly to help officers and their families overcome problems at home and work. The Psychological Services Group saw a rise in demand for psychological counseling in 2002, with a total of 2,458 consultations made. This was a rise of 5 per cent compared with 2,341 consultations in 2001.

     The two Police Education Trusts awarded HK$6.4 million in bursaries to 775 children and scholarships to 39 students with outstanding academic performance in public examinations.

Training Wing

     Training Wing is committed to providing professional training to Force members to meet the challenges of a constantly changing society. Concerted efforts have therefore been made to ensure that staff have the opportunity, through training, to acquire the necessary competencies to deliver a quality service consistent with the Force Vision, Common Purpose and Values.

Training Initiatives

     The Force has a three-year programme of diverse training opportunities. In 2002, a total of 72 newly promoted Station Sergeants attended a one-day familiarisation visit to the Mainland and Zhongshan University's course on law enforcement in the Mainland was attended by 81 junior officers and inspectors. A total of 35 junior inspectors were attached to non-government organisations such as Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Chinese YMCA, YWCA, Hong Kong Christian Service and Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service.

     In December 2002, Hong Kong chaired the 14th Interpol Symposium for Heads of Police Colleges held in Lyon, France, which was attended by delegates from 47 countries from various parts of the world. The Symposium was valuable in extending our partnerships with various police training organisations overseas.

Police Training School

     The school provides basic training in a wide range of practical policing subjects to new recruits as well as continuation and promotion training. In addition, it is also a training base for newly recruited Traffic Wardens. During the year, a total of 644 officers attended basic training and 4,247 undertook continuation training.

The Police Band

     The Police Band consists of a Silver Band with 55 musicians and a Pipe Band with 29 pipers and drummers. The Band plays an important role in public and community relations programmes and fulfils over 600 engagements each year. In December 2002, the Band gave a spectacular performance at the Police Night held at the Police Training School to demonstrate the professionalism of the Force and the pride it takes in serving the community.

     In 2002, the school conducted five tailor-made two-week training courses for 82 Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers from various provinces and training establishments. In addition, officers from Training Wing provided Tactics Training to PSB officers in Shenzhen. A highlight of the year was the launching of a new training website known as the Law Infostation, an on-line database containing the latest updates and explanations on law related subjects or information relevant to police work, all of which is aimed at enhancing the Force Knowledge Management System.

     The Detective Training School provides fundamental detective training to police uniform branch officers prior to being transferred to crime investigation duties and advanced detective training to enhance the efficiency and expertise of officers who are already detectives. In 2002, fundamental detective training was given to 385 police and 27 officers from other disciplined forces. Advanced detective training was given to 309 police officers while 332 Special Duty Squad officers graduated from the basic investigation courses.

     The Weapons Training Division is responsible for ensuring that weapons training concepts and methodologies are in line with international best practice and fully meet the operational requirements of all armed frontline officers. In 2003, the next generation of interactive use of force training systems will come on line at all mini-ranges. This upgraded system will allow for more comprehensive testing and appraisal of officers' ability to apply correct use of force principles during various situations.

     In striving for excellence in driver training, the Police Driving School has continued its efforts to enhance the high quality of driving courses required to meet the operational needs of frontline officers. With the increasing demand in driver training, a significant review on driving courses was conducted with a view to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of such training.