Senior Inspectors Chu Kit-chung and Chan Tai-wai, Police Constables Au Kwok Lung, Chung Siu-hung and Lam Kwok-yin together with Women Police Constables Chung Sau-man and Tang Yin-mei have received Bachelor of Criminal Justice.

It's by no means easy being a full-time worker and part-time student simultaneously. SIP Chu, PC Au, PC Lam, WPC Chung and WPC Tang have told OffBeat how they have struck a balance between hectic work and studies.

Tough life

They all agreed that part-time studies were a great commitment, and certainly they had to make some "sacrifices", such as giving up watching TV programmes and going to cinemas. "We attended two evening classes each week, sometimes even on Saturdays or Sundays. I usually spent at least three to four hours studying on weekdays, and of course, for a whole day on weekends. Our difficulty was trying to fit academic work into a hectic daily schedule," added PC Au.

Part-time study is especially difficult for those who need to work shift, but support from family members, colleagues and lecturers eventually kept them on their studies. "I really want to thank my supervisors and colleagues for being so supportive. When my shift schedule clashed with classes, I asked colleagues to swap with me. They had never let me down," noted PC Lam.

WPC Chung could not agree more with PC Lam. "When I was absent from classes, my classmates took notes for me and recapped the lesson taught. This was really a big help. Actually this was also good for both parties, because on one hand, they could refresh their memories, and on the other hand, it was more easy for me to understand the notes," added WPC Chung.

During the four years of studies, there were unforgettable moments for the officers. WPC Tang was more than happy to share such experience. "I was pregnant during the third year. Luckily I didn't have any pregnancy problems. My attendance rate was even higher because I didn't have to work shift since my pregnancy. It was most fortunate that my maternity leave coincided with the term break, so I didn't have to disrupt my study," she explained with a smile.

Rewarding yet tough

The officers all agreed they have benefited a lot from the degree course - a broadened horizon and a sense of achievement. SIP Chu said: "There's a will, there's a way!"

Though it is very stressful to take care of both work and study, they reckon studying is another way to relieve work pressure. When they concentrated on studies, office work was completely out of their mind. WPC Tang said studying even gave her "more new topics to talk to my baby."

Finally, the officers all encouraged their colleagues to pursue continuous study as the Force keeps on changing, and new information and technology are emerging everyday. "If people do not better equip themselves, they will be outclassed from society one day. We all had to work shift at different times during these four years. Even when WPC Tang had her baby delivered and WPC Chung got married during the second year, they could still manage their studies. We can do it, so can you," concluded SIP Chu.

Master Degree for officers

Meanwhile, three officers, Chief Inspectors Ho Wing-fu and Sin Chi-ming, and Senior Inspector Chan Lai-man, have obtained their Master Degree from the University of Hong Kong. CIP Ho and WSIP Chan have been awarded Master of Science in Training and Human Relations Management while CIP Sin, Master of Science in Training and Performance Management. They have set a good example of lifelong learning which is being actively promoted by the Force.

The officers share the bitters and sweets of part-time study

The three Master Degree holders