"The Diamond Grade tape, made by 3M, is the best material of its kind in the world for use on police vehicles because it reflects loght so well that people can clearly see the vehicles hundreds of metres away," said Transport Division Superintendent Stuart Jones. "That is a strong point because it facilitates the work of police offcers and also ensures their safety as well as taht of members of the public."

Requiring minimum maintenance, the tape's tough composition makes it hard to scratch and is resistant to Hong Kong's extremely humid climate. Its durability virtually guarantees it to last the lofe of a police vehicle-usually six to seven years.

Diamond Grade tape is popular with police forces the world over and is commonly used in Europe and North America. The Hong Kong Police Force started introducing the material to all its new vehicles in 1997. The tapw is also used on the road signs of Hong Kong's Highways Department.

Safety is a primary concem of Mr Joens and his officers in the Rransport Division. "Accidents are a personal tragedy for the people involved, their families and friends. Accidents ate also very costly in terms of the huge drain on community resources such as hospitalisation, sick leave and legal bills," he said.

Over the past few years, the Transport Division has concentrated on upgrading the safety of the entire police fleet with a number of improvements that include the vehicles themselves. From early 1997 the Ford Transit was introduced to the fleet of large vans (the standard patrol vehicles). Of the 570 large vans in service, over 350 are now Ford Transits, which are used by the Police Tactical Unit, Emergency Units, Trafic and the Districts.

The powerful Honda CBX750P motorcycles, nearly 500 which are now used in the Force, have also been fitted with a number of new features to improve safety for their riders that include anadditional blue light at the rear, bigger and more highly reflective markings, and front flashing lights fixed higher on the fairing to enable better visibility by car drivers. Similar treatment has been given to the smaller motorcycles with the addition of flashing lights, sirenns and quality markings.

Meanwhile, the Transport Division has been testing better light bulbs for force vehicles and actively looking at better sirens and run-flat tyres-to be put on trial this year.

Said Mr Jones: "Our officers continue to monitor ongoing world-wide research into improving vehicle safety and, whenever possible, we will incorporate the safety innovations of manufacturers into the specifications for our new vehicles. But even the safest features are of little use without a driver who is ever conscious of safety."