| Chairman Lau | |
 Retiring Cheung Shu-tsang (left) handing over the chairmanship of the JPOA to SSgt Lau Kam-wah |
"THE Junior Police Officers' Association (JPOA) of the
Hong Kong Police Force will continue to fight for the improvement of junior police officers' working
terms and conditions," said Station Sergeant Lau Kam-wah, the Association's new chairman.
Mr Lau assumed the chairmanship of the 23,000-member JPOA (whose membership also includes retired officers) last month after a keenly contested election at the 13th Executive Committee Meeting of the Association. His rise to the top position of the JPOA, which was set up in 1977, follows the decision of ex-chairman Cheung Shu-tsang (who will retire from the Force) to step down. |
|
Station Sergeant Lau joined the the Hong Kong Police in 1974 and is currently posted at the Road Work Management Office of the Kowloon East Traffic Enforcement and Control Section. Over the past 24 years he has worked in Wong Tai Sin and Kwun Tong Districts, as well as at the Police Tactical Unit. Lau Kam-wah began working in earnest for the JPOA in 1996 as secretary for the Association's Kowloon East Region and as chairman of the organisation's legal consultation section which helps members with legal enquiries and counsel involving everything from lawsuits arising due to execution of police duties, to disciplinary action tribunals, to legal advice on purchasing flats, tenancy disputes or divorce. "There are 18 legal consultants working on a volunteer basis for the Association. We provide case assessments and referrals, and the consultants grant free consultations and reasonable rates for legal services (when required) to our members," said Mr Lau. "I would have taken a more active role in the development work of the Association years earlier," he added, "but my children were still young and in need of their father's presence. Now that they have grown up, I can direct more time and effort in service to the Association." | |
|
Lau Kam-wah said the JPOA will continue to take a leading role under his chairmanship as liaison between its members and Force management, and maintain its principle of negotiating for the rightful entitlements of its members in a calm, fair and sensible way. So far this approach has been successful, with Mr Lau citing such results as the recent modification of junior police officers' pay scales, the introduction of an 18-month trial to reduce the working hours of all officers, and the opportunity (begun last year) for sergeants and station sergeants to act up a rank respectively. "But there is still much to do," said Mr Lau. "We are negotiating for reimbursement of the laundry and cleaning fee for our uniforms and shoes; continuing to push for a reduction in the 'conditioned' hours worked per week from 51 to 48; and want to see an increase of the quota in JPO's Home Purchase Allowance so that more junior police officers can buy (and pay off) their own flats before retirement." |
 SSgt Lau at work |
| Record number of applicants ensuring higher and higher calibre of police recruits | |
 More recruits measuring up to Force's high standards |
"The Force runs its recruitment exercise throughout the year, Our recruitment target for 1997/98 is 1,064 police constables and 159 inspectors," said SP Wong Wai-fung, selection and Vetting Section of Recruitment Group, Personnel Wing. "We received a total of 8,800 and 3,271 applications respectively, which, needless to say, helped meet recruitment targets and more." |
|
The total number of police inspector applications was about the same when compared to 3,243 in 96/97. This may be due to the growing tertiary education opportunities for Hong Kong's young adults. In 1998/99, the Force recruitment target for police constable recruits will be 1,200 and for new inspectors, 160. Post Lunar New Year is traditionally a high season for receiving applications for police inspector and police constable appointments, following the Force promotion at the last Career Expo the applications for inspector and police constable posts so far this year have increased by 35 per cent and 40 per cent respectively when compared to the same period last year. "The quality of applicants for police inspector is higher than usual with more university grads now in possession of valuable experience gained working in big organisations," SP Wong continued. "Many are attracted by the Force's opportunity for promotion, career prospect and job security." Entry salary for inspectors ranges from $26,745 to $30,610(depending on the applicant's level of education), while police constables can expect $14,240 to $15,120 (depending on the results of their HKCEE). In recent years the educational back-ground of recruit inspectors and police constables has been noticeably higher. "At present we have 45 recruit police constables with university degrees, while a full 92 per cent of direct entry inspectors were university graduates in the last financial year," said Superintendent Wong. "Moreover, some officers promoted to inspectors through Force entry went on to obtain tertiary qualifications." Last year, in a bid to improve the calibre of Force members the minimum educational requirement for recruit police constables was upgraded from Form Three to Form Five. This year, upgrading the educational requirement of direct entry probationary inspectors from Form Five to university degree holders has been proposed to the Government's Civil Services Branch and this is currently under consideration by CSB. | |
|
Also potential PC recruits are now required to possess higher proven abilities in language proficiency and written Chinese, with those applicants who lack passes in Chinese, Chinese Literature of Chinese History subjects in HKCEE required to sit for a dictation test and an additional Chinese composition test. Candidates must also be knowledgeable about current affairs, determined to serve the community, interested in police work-and be physically fit enough to complete the 27-week training programme. With regard to applicants for inspector post, SP Wong said the selection and vetting procedures of inspectorate candidates is under continual review and improvement to reflect the requirements of the Force and the community and to ensure that only the highest quality candidates and the "best of the best" are selected to become Hong Kong Police officers. |
 New recruits must be fit enough to complete the 27-week training course |
