Riding a motorcycle and putting on helmet and sunglasses, traffic police officers give a professional image. Behind this impression is a challenging and demanding job.  Serving the Force for 31 years with more than 10 years in Traffic Formation, Station Sergeant (SSGT) Tsang Fat-wa appreciates that the meaning of work stems from a sense of belonging to the Traffic Formation and the "chemistry" among his colleagues.

 

 

"Though a Traffic Officer works on his own on his motorcycle, we emphasise teamwork. If there is no teamwork or 'chemistry', we will not be able to deal with cases."

 

SSGT Tsang recalled a memorable incident, "We once handled a serious accident on Lung Cheung Road. We couldn't go to the scene due to traffic jam. Eventually, we got to the scene from the opposite lane.  We immediately assessed the situation and determined how our other colleagues and ambulances could arrive.   This job required an experienced team with good 'chemistry' to execute. After that particular operation, everyone realised the meaning behind hardworking - helping people and serving the community."

 

 

For SSGT Tsang as a frontline supervisor, caring for his subordinates would help them cultivate a sense of belonging towards the Traffic Formation.  "I use my experience to help my colleagues. I appreciate the importance of caring and communicating with the subordinates.  I also frequently discuss values.  Colleagues might find their jobs difficult but this could be a challenge when you look from another angle."

 

SSGT Tsang shared his colleagues' pressure. Speaking of handing out fixed penalty tickets, he said, "Handing out tickets is a daily challenge.  Colleagues might feel some pressure.  I told them to inform me immediately when they had a dispute with a citizen.  When I arrived at the scene, my colleagues briefed me on the situation and I took over the job.  Afterwards, I shared with them my experience of handling complaints from the public. Then they knew that I, as their supervisor, understood their pressure. This made everyone feel being part of the team."

 

 

SSGT Tsang sees changes in society as challenges.  "A Traffic Officer's job has changed a lot. Our duties are multi-dimensional, including fighting drink driving and drug driving. We have to learn to use different detection devices. Though having worked in Traffic Formation for more than 10 years, I find there are still many more things for us to learn."

 

Through his job, SSGT Tsang is aware of the needs and views of road-users and will reflect these to the Force. "If I find a certain situation is unfair to the road-users, I will reflect this to the Force.  We will also see if there is a need to offer more publicity, and let the public know more about our goals."  SSGT Tsang not only carries out the duties of a Traffic Officer, but is also committed to the Force's missions by appreciating his own value as part of the organisation.

 

 

Take an organisation as a complex machine and staff members as the devices supporting operation of the machine.  Without the devices, the machine would not operate. The contribution of every staff member has a significant impact on the organisation's operations.  Cultivating appreciation of the meaning of work is a positive force pushing us to make an effort to assist with the development of the organisation.