Every officer in the Force enjoys good opportunities for promotion as long as they are willing to strive and meet the necessary requirements. Lau Hoi-wa, who joined the Force in 1988, has served in various units, including District Anti-triad Squad, District Crime Squad and Criminal Intelligence Bureau. He longed to become an inspector and made two attempts without success. He reached the highest position for rank-and-file officers in the Force and became a station sergeant in 2016. The promotion, however, was not the final point of his policing career but a reminder of his initial aspiration.

“I was stationed in the Patrol Sub-unit of Yau Ma Tei Division in 2017. When I acted as commander, I found that I had the ability to handle the duties of an inspector. In the meantime, I worked hard and got a Bachelor’s Degree in Crime and Investigation in 2018. Despite my age over 50 then, I was clear about my maturity in all aspects and therefore strived for inspectorate again.”

Lau Hoi-wa joined the Selected Appointment Scheme in 2019. After passing the stringent physical assessment and interview processes, he was successfully enrolled as a probationary inspector to undergo training at the Hong Kong Police College (HKPC). He admitted frankly that it was really a big challenge for him to pick up textbooks again and memorise a large number of legal provisions in English. Eventually, he overcame the difficulties and became a probationary inspector at the age of 53, which was the oldest in the Force in recent years.

Lau Hoi-wa feels deeply. “After being promoted to inspector, I have better perception of the orders issued by commanders. My experience gained from frontline duties allows me to fully understand the mentality of frontline officers. With these two identities combined, I can deal with policing work macroscopically. At the same time, I can implement various projects more pragmatically and smoothly to facilitate the Force’s delivery of law enforcement messages to the public.”

Lau Hoi-wa is 55 years old now. He has been transferred to HKPC as an instructor. He hopes to pass on his profound policing experience and set an example to encourage colleagues to strive for self-improvement. “Age is not a restriction. Some colleagues have already been promoted to station sergeant in their early thirties. They are surely qualified to take on more responsibilities. Senior officers should also keep equipping themselves for opportunities.”