After a review of the Standard Criminal Investigation Course (SCIC) early this year, the Detective Training Centre (DTC) of the School of Specialised Learning of Police College has worked closely with Regions and Crime Bureaux to enhance the programme design and course contents for ensuring that trainees will be equipped, through the eight-week intensive detective training course, with the core, functional and psychological competencies required for criminal investigations.

To help officers nominated for the SCIC meet the challenges of a demanding and intensive professional training programme, it is now a standard practice for DTC, four weeks prior to commencement of training, to conduct a pre-course briefing for trainees from both the Force and other disciplined services. The trainees will be briefed on the expectations, requirements, objectives, contents and syllabi of the course. Reference materials, including information on certain e-learning packages, will be given at the briefing session, which will also serve as an early team-building activity for all the trainees, who will learn as rank-specific and District Investigation Team (DIT)-modeled syndicates.

At the pre-course briefing held on September 22, Yuen Long District officers also introduced a complaint prevention initiative of New Territories North Region, "Project Respect" designed to strengthen the supervisory roles of a Detective Sergeant in respect of professionalism and service quality for reducing avoidable complaints against DIT officers.