"Commit yourself to the job. Set your goals and try your best to attain them!" This was the advice Detective Station Sergeant Li Bu-yuen offered to his fellow CID officers shortly before proceeding on pre-retirement leave on June 29 after working in the CID for 29 years.

He also reminded CID officers to stay physically fit at all times, noting that a robust physique would help them cope with an increasingly heavy workload. After work, he constantly strives to keep himself fit in order to meet the challenges of his job.

Late last year, DSSGT Li successfully completed 100 km at a charity fundraiser - the Oxfam Trail Walk. A staunch supporter of the promotion of a healthy lifestyle within the Force, he is a member of the Police Choir and had sat on a committee at the New Territories South Regional Headquarters to promote recreational activities among officers there.

Twenty-nine years in CID

DSSGT Li's service with the Force spanned a total of 31 years - two years in the Uniform Branch and 29 years in CID. His potential for CID work was recognised not long after he marched out from the former Police Training School in Aberdeen in 1976. The following year, after working in the Uniform Branch in Tsuen Wan for nine months, he was on loan to the Narcotics Bureau(NB) to protect the prosecution witnesses of the notorious "Limping Ho" case of drug trafficking.

His performance was such that NB officers considered him suitable for detective work and encouraged him to apply to join the CID stream. He heeded the advice and was successful in his application, beginning his long CID career with a Divisional Investigation Team in Tsuen Wan. Subsequently, he dealt with a great variety of cases and earned one CP's Commendation and three CO's Commendations. The CP's Commendation recognised his contribution to smashing a well-organised syndicate, which had committed a series of robberies of containers and electronic parts in the New Territories.

Recalling his decision to join the CID, DSSGT Li said: "At the time I thought the Force needed more officers who were upright and devoted to their job. They would help improve the Force's public image if they could get their job done."

A right choice

Detective work has offered DSSGT Li so much that he considers his decision "a right choice". And he has no hesitation in recommending detective work to officers aspiring to a career in CID.

He stressed that he had benefited a lot from detective work. Besides an immense sense of job satisfaction, detective work had broadened his horizon and knowledge, updated him on the rapid developments in society, and brought him into contact with people from different walks of life.

He also noted that positive changes had taken places in CID work as a result of rising public aspirations and the rapid changes and political developments in society.

"A lot of changes for good have been taken place. To name a few, CID officers' quality and expertise have improved, and investigation and work procedures have been institutionalised and put on the right track," he added.

More challenges to come

But he sees the constant changes in society, political developments, human rights issue, public access to information and transparency of police work as additional challenges to CID officers. To face up to the challenges, he advised the officers to adhere to core values and commit themselves to their job.

While the Force has been providing a lot of on-the-job training, he said it was vital for officers to seek self-enhancement and improve their investigation skills. One particular skill that he recommended is inter-personal communication.

Speaking of his own experiences, DSSGT Li said he came to realise during the course of his investigation work that good communication could be a big help to police work. Citing two examples, he recalled: "My senior asked me why a victim in a shooting case talked to me but not other officers. The victim and another man received gunshot wounds inside a private car, but they made up a story and refused to tell the truth for a couple of days. Eventually, the first victim told me what really had happened.

"In another case of wasting police manpower, I managed to make the woman suspect confess having misled the police. Sometime after the case, she tipped me off of a robbery mastermind's plots and we later made a number of arrests. Perhaps, in both cases they thought I was trustworthy and had faith in me. With good inter-personal communication, officers can get a suspect talk and get useful information."

DSSGT Li is bowing out with a special feeling about the New Territories South Region. "I first reported for duty at the Tsuen Wan Police Station formerly located next to the New Territories South Regional Headquarters. Thirty-one years later I'm leaving NTS RHQ for good. It's quite a coincidence!"

But he has more than a sentimental reason to remember the Crime NTS Headquarters : the management's care and concern about officers' job and well-being, their career developments and even their lifestyles.

Summing up what the Crime NTS Headquarters has been doing as "a caring employer", he said the management had impressed him that "I'm going to fight for you! I'm going to do it for you! I can make your job easier!"

Gaining Police Medal

OffBeat congratulates Mr Li on being awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service in the 2007 HKSARG Honours and Awards List announced on July 1.

DSSGT Li loves outdoor adventure

DSSGT Li's debut at a police function in Singapore as a member of the Police Choir in 1989