In mid-February this year, Sergeant Tai Tak-yan, Police Constable Sin Tai-kam and their colleagues stopped a man near Paterson Street, Causeway Bay, conducted a body search and found suspected burglary tools.

Unable to provide a reasonable explanation, the man (Mr Lee) was arrested. Mr Lee, a locksmith, made a report against SGT Tai to the Complaints Against Police Office.

With 18 years of Force service, SGT Tai said: "I certainly did not feel good about the complaint. However, I was confident as I strictly followed the Force Procedures Manual and I trusted CAPO officers in conducting a fair and thorough investigation."

PC Sin agreed. "While some officers might be doubtful about CAPO, we were sure that with their professional knowledge they could look closely at the case with fairness and impartiality, and listen to both parties. CAPO is an institute to be trusted and respected."

Woman Inspector Lam Sui-chu of the Wan Chai Division Miscellaneous Enquiries Team took up the case and got a case account from both sides. It was concluded that the incident was a misunderstanding. The case was resolved through informal resolution with an explanation given to Mr Lee, who accepted it, and advice to SGT Tai on areas of improvement.

WIP Lam said: "I used to work in the CAPO Hong Kong Office and was myself subjected to complaints while in other formations. What I can say is, with ever-higher public expectations of the Force, it's natural to see increasing complaints. We should not worry too much about this. What is important is officers do what they are supposed to do and keep improving themselves. Of course, more patience and consideration would help avoid complaints."

Statistics showed that while minor complaints, such as poor manners, were on the rise, serious ones, including assault and fabricating evidence, had dropped drastically.

WIP Lam said complaints were an indicator of public opinion of the Force.

"While we never hesitate to take appropriate action in substantiated cases, we have also been learning good lessons from those unsubstantiated ones as to how best we can make improvements."

Satisfied with the informal resolution, Mr Lee told Offbeat: "I know Police did a thorough investigation and I'm happy with the explanation given. I don't think this case has resulted in any prejudice against police on my part - I certainly try my best to co-operate."

Though common practice in dealing with minor complaints, informal resolution was often misunderstood by some officers as admission of wrongdoing. SGT Tai disagreed.

"For my case, informal resolution was best as it was not meant to adjudicate who was right and who was wrong. It just cleared misunderstandings between the two parties. It was an ideal communication channel between the Force and the public."

SGT Tai said he had no ill feelings and would continue to work without compromising his integrity and zeal for policing.

"I hope the public can try to understand our work as officers more and co-operate with us, that would help avoid misunderstandings. I suggest, for similar situations in future, other officers are promptly brought in, in case a situation between a person and an officer turns sour. This would help both parties cool down and facilitate normal police procedure."

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