The first batch of nine Detective Police Constables (DPCs) was awarded the Advanced Diploma in Policing (Criminal Investigation). They received the certificates from Director of Finance, Administration and Planning Joyce Tam at the Standard Criminal Investigation Course (SCIC) Graduation Ceremony on June 23.

The DPCs who attend the Advanced Diploma programme are required to complete the Workplace Learning (WPL) Phase for a minimum of 465 hours in 12 to 24 months on six areas, namely Professional Ethics and Team Work, Criminal Investigations, Handling Scenes of Crime, Investigative Interviews, Collection of Evidence, and Judicial Process in relation to Criminal Investigation.

To complete the WPL, both the DPCs and their supervisory officers devoted much effort to the task. One of the DPC awardees, Hung Pui-lai of Kwun Tong District, said, "The professional qualification of Advanced Diploma would help me plan my career development and would offer me more ways to get a higher academic qualification."

Ms Hung's three supervisors also shared their views. Detective Sergeant Tse Ming-kan commented, "I am pleased that the Force continuously nurtures talents and provides high-quality criminal investigation training." Detective Inspector Kwok Chi-fung said, "The WPL facilitates officers to pursue professional qualification by requiring them to record their daily work into the Professional Development Portfolio in a simple and systematic way." Detective Chief Inspector Li Muk-yik added, "The Advanced Diploma programme attracts more capable officers to join criminal investigation work. I encourage qualified officers to seize this opportunity to attain a higher qualification in a bid to enhance their professionalism to serve the community."