Efficiency Savings Plan worked out
After carefully considering all relevant factors and operational exigency, the Force has come up with a plan to slash its expenditure by about $240 million in the Financial Year 2003-04 under the Efficiency Savings Programme, Deputy Commissioner (Management), Mr Fung Siu-yuen, told OffBeat.
This is part of an overall plan to achieve the Government's target of a 4.8 per cent cut in spending over the next four years.
Mr Fung said that the plan was formulated after carefully studying the cost-saving proposals put forward earlier by various frontline units. Formation Commanders have been informed about details of the plan.
He said that the cuts would be made in accordance with the principles promulgated to all Force members earlier. The principles are:
The posts deleted include training-reserves for new recruits and vacant PTU training posts. This made up about 87 per cent of the disciplined posts to be deleted. Savings in posts are also to be achieved through contracting out, streamlining in Police work and restructuring of support services.
A total of about 300 disciplined and 90 civilian posts will be cut.
He added that at this stage, there were no plans to cut expenditure on Disciplined Services Overtime Allowances (DSOA) allocated to operational units. Officers, however, should continue to exercise a prudent approach in granting allowances.
The additional voluntary training hours for auxiliary officers will not be affected. Neither will any changes to the Force policy on the re-employment of retired officers be envisaged.
As for further savings in the three subsequent years, Mr Fung said proposals would be worked out based on suggestions put forward by Formations. The guiding principles as mentioned above will continue to apply.
It is envisaged that savings can be achieved, among other things, by reviewing the administrative support service at Regional, District and Divisional levels, reviewing the Traffic Headquarters and Traffic Formation Headquarters, station amalgamation, as well as contracting out some of the Police duties at magistracies. Civilianisation of non-operational driving duties will also be considered.
"The $240 million reduction in spending will be achieved mainly through the deletion of vacant posts and cuts to departmental expenditure through various means," he said.
Frontline strength and coverage is intact
