OffBeat also appreciates that the officers, in the face of a very daunting task, were too occupied to give any serious thought to Force values. What was uppermost in their mind was a desire to get their jobs done. In this respect, they came up with a great performance, and truly lived up to the Force values of professionalism and acceptance of responsibility and accountability.

On reflection during the OffBeat interview, the officers - Acting Chief Inspector Eddy Sit Ka-ho, DOO WCHDIST, Sergeant Kwan Chi-lung, Police Constables Leung Wai-pong, TFSU WCHDIV, and Tso Kai-shun, PSU 2 WCHDIV, and Woman Police Constable To Ka-lok, TFSU WCHDIV - realised they had also, in one way or the other, sub-consciously put other Force values into practice, such as respect for the rights of members of the public and of the Force, fairness, impartiality and compassion, as well as effective communication within and outside the Force.

Doing different jobs

The five officers were among the many officers from Wan Chai District, Wan Chai Division and Happy Valley Division deployed for different HKMC duties.

Mr Sit was the Officer-in-charge of the Special Duty Team (MC6) of Wan Chai District, PC Leung was a member of the team, SGT Kwan and WPC To were members of the TFSU WCHDIV which served as the District Quick Reaction Team (DQRT), and PC Tso was a member of the WCHDIST Tier 3 Coy.

For Mr Sit and PC Leung, their jobs began long before HKMC began last December. What they did before and during HKMC enshrined Force values.

As OC of the team, Mr Sit started planning as early as March last year for Wan Chai District's participation in HKMC operations. Internally he took care of all security matters, manpower deployments, logistics support and liaison with other Police units and Government departments. Externally he kept in close touch with HKMC delegates' hotels, management of commercial buildings, and shop owners over matters of interests to them. Together with the Special Duty Team and Wan Chai District Management, he also organised seminars to provide them with an update on the latest HKMC developments, and, if necessary, advice on precautionary measures.

Mr Sit was ably assisted in his preparation work by PC Leung and four other members of the Special Duty Team (MC6) - a Sergeant and three PCs. PC Leung was involved in quite a number of projects related to manpower deployment, documentation, drawings, and liaison with other Police units, etc.

The pair continued to work throughout HKMC, with Mr Sit supervising his team's work, and PC Leung working as an "orderly" for Wan Chai District Commander John Cox.

"During HKMC, my team operated round-the-clock and functioned as a mobile resource centre to provide support and assistance to fellow officers. Some of my team members worked as long as 40 hours from December 17 to late at night the following day. I'm delighted that what they did before and during HKMC had clearly demonstrated some of the Force values," he said.

During HKMC, the TFSU WCHDIV which served as DQRT was mobilised to the frontline to control demonstrators and crowds, and protect life and property. As members of the DQRT, both SGT Kwan and WPC To worked on the frontline in Wan Chai.

"Prior to HKMC, the District Management specifically instructed us to exercise restraint, protect life and property, and respect the rights of demonstration, as well as those of members of the public. The way officers handled the incident had gained the co-operation of the public, and underscored the Force values of professionalism, quality service, fairness and compassion, and respect for the rights of the public," SGT Kwan commented.

Officers in high spirits

WPC To pointed out that officers fully displayed the Force values of professionalism during HKMC. She commented: "Officers were in high spirits throughout the incident in Marsh Road and persevered in their duties of protecting life and property and giving the demonstrators a chance to air their views. They worked from about 12 noon on December 17 until 5 or 6 am the following day."

What PC Tso did during HKMC also put into practice the Force value of effective communication within the Force. As a member of the WCHDIST Tier 3 Coy, he manned an observation post set up in the Immigration Tower in Wan Chai, monitored the situation in the vicinity, and alerted HICOM HKI of any new developments on the ground.

Other members of the WCHDIST Tier 3 Coy also performed similar duties at other observation posts set up elsewhere in Wan Chai District, often working long hours and standing by even after their shifts were over on December 17. Throughout HKMC, this special team effectively acted as the "eyes" of HICOM HKI and commanders on the ground.

Officers uphold Force values during HKMC