SQW releases Environmental Scan Report 2011
ACP
SQ Wong
Fook-chuen on the
release of ESR
2011On February 8 Service Quality Wing (SQW) launched the 2011 Environmental Scan Report (ESR 2011) and to mark this event Assistant Commissioner (Service Quality) Wong Fook-chuen publicised the release with a short video presentation on POINT.
Speaking about the release, Mr Wong said: "The release of the 2011 scan is a significant milestone because it marks the beginning of the new strategic planning cycle that will take place in 2011 to examine the Strategic Directions and to develop the Strategic Action Plan 2012-2014."
The ESR 2011 is a development of previously published scan reports that the Force has compiled in various formats since 2000 to support its strategic planning efforts. The latest report comprises three sections: External review, Internal review and a summary of the more significant developments in International Policing.
Mr Wong said: "The work on this report began in July last year when SQW recruited four police Mentees and one university intern. These five undergraduates were tasked to undertake external research, and they performed above expectations, reviewing and compiling a large and diverse amount of quality information."
One of the central issues in devising an environmental scan is deciding on what information to include and what to exclude. "The amount of information they compiled certainly made the Editor's task more difficult," Mr Wong noted.
Key trends and issues
The Environmental Scan is composed of factual information, views and opinions from around the world and Hong Kong. The objective of the report is to help identify the key trends and issues that are shaping the world. By examining the external, as well as the internal conditions, and by looking for the significant emerging issues and opportunities, it is possible to get a better perspective of the uncertainties.
Mr Wong said: "We are living in extraordinary times and it is worth reminding ourselves how incredibly fast and unexpectedly the world is changing around us. The rapid changes are shaping the environment in which the Force operates and therefore we must have a thorough understanding of not only the local environment but also the environment at large if we are to realistically plan and set priorities for the future."
ESR 2011 will provide Force members with an insight into the significant challenges and opportunities the Force faces as it strives to deliver first class law enforcement for the community and its partners.
"In particular one of the challenges that the Force faces is to improve our understanding of the community, and to fulfil the increasing expectations they have placed on us. We specifically need to review how we undertake our external communication so that we can better engage both our local and international partners," Mr Wong added.
Scenario planning
The Force's Strategic Planning, like all other processes in the Force, is subject to periodic review and enhancement. As part of the ongoing review by Efficiency Services Bureau (ESB) of SQW, and with the view to widening the scope of the existing strategic planning process, the ESB team will run, for the first time, a dedicated "Future Scenario Planning Exercise" later this year.
"Scenario planning works alongside our existing strategic planning techniques, but importantly it offers a number of advantages; it will allow the Force to consider a wider range of possibilities about where policing may be heading for in the future," said Mr Wong.
One of the fundamental principles of scenario planning is that it does not attempt to predict the future but rather to develop and test strategic choices under a variety of possible futures. "SQW is excited about scenario planning and what it can offer the Force in planning for the future," Mr Wong added.
The Environmental Scan, along with the adoption of Scenario planning this year, is set to offer a comprehensive foundation on which to decide and prioritise the Force's future strategic decisions.
For
Assistant
Commissioner
(Service
Quality)
Wong
Fook-chuen,
the
Environmental
Scan
Report
marks
the
beginning
of the new strategic
planning cycle that will take place in 2011