Thanks to its state-of-the-art design for safety as well as functionality, the new EOD emergency call vehicle or 'plant' almost allows the bomb disposal robot to board and disembark on its own. All the same, EOD Sergeant Richard Wong Tze-kwong is on hand - just in case

The Hong Kong Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau is responsible for all EOD in Hong Kong. One team is on immediate standby, 24 hours a day with a second team available at a moment's notice. In times of high EOD activity a reserve cadre is activated which allows for up to five teams to be on immediate standby for an indefinite period. ¡@The EOD Bureau recently received delivery of four new emergency call vehicles that the Bureau's head, Senior Bomb Disposal Officer Dominic "Bones" Brittain refers to as a "Plant" (as in power plant). A short test drive and revelation of its features and you understand why.

¡@"The traditional approach to the problem of transporting EOD teams was to take a large police van, fit the interior out for equipment and put it on the streets. But the vehicles were under-powered, overloaded and hopeless off the road," said Mr Brittain, who sat down four years ago to design a new one. "Instead of looking for a vehicle to move a team and equipment around, the approach was to look at providing a 'plant' which would become an integral part of the whole EOD operation.Ó ¡@The result is an amazing one-of-a-kind EOD plant that is a major contributor to the safety of the team, totally meets the requirements of their dangerous work, and is the envy of bomb disposal units the world over. ¡@Its electronic fuel injection petrol engine is a Landrover V8, 3.9 litre, with a super charger that can move the team, equipment and plant (in all 5,350 kg) at a brisk 100-plus km/h when necessary. It has three axles affording 6 x 4, or 6 x 6 wheel drive at a flick of a switch, yet is not much wider than a standard Landrover, and therefore handles like a charm. It has, of course, water fording capabilities. ¡@Designed for years of use with heavy loads in extreme conditions, Hutchinson run flat tyres allow the vehicle to sustain simultaneous punctures on all six tyres and run at full speed for 50 km, and at half-speed for a further 50 km. ¡@The personnel sit in a crew cab which contains mobile phone, fax, computer, radio and ancillary controls. The vehicle/plant is armoured to protect the team when parked side on to a reasonably large bomb at a distance of 80 metres. In addition it has retractable Kevlar blankets which can be unfurled to the ground on either side that withstand even the harshest of blast waves. ¡@For night work an extending pneumatic lighting system provides 360 degree coverage and eliminates black spots. A mains electrical output provides for any and all external electrical needs. ¡@The 500 kg folding tail lift allows swift and easy unloading of heavy equipment, while a 8,000 lb bumper-mounted electric winch is capable of moving anything. A rear NATO tow hook with 12-pin socket can tow up to a 1 tonne trailer. ¡@Even blind and deaf Hong Kong drivers will have no problem seeing or hearing the rolling plant's strobe light system, alternating headlights and two 130 watt siren speakers. ¡@Oh yeah, after diffusing a bomb on site, the programmable dot matrix message bar allows EOD team members to flash "Have a nice day", or whatever, as they head back to police headquarters.

Simply uplifting: PTS bagpipes, fife and drums	THE rising educational standard and the application of new and advanced technology have contributed towards the sterling performance and rising reputation of the Hong Kong Police Force. ¡@The Convenor of the Executive Council, Dr The Honourable Chung Sze-yuen, made the remarks during his address to 127 officers (39 inspectors and 88 constables) graduating from the Police Training School on 11 October. ¡@Dr Chung said the rising reputation of the Force during the past two decades had been an evolutionary process and the result of a number of factors: "First, the much enhanced remuneration and conditions of service since 1980 have minimised corruption, raised morale and educational standard, and improved recruitment.Ó
¡@"As I understand, many of the inspectors have university degrees and most of the constables are secondary school graduates. This rising educational standard is no doubt an important factor in the high quality of the Force. Ó ¡@He noted that the timely application of new and advanced technology, particularly in crime prevention and detection, had also help improved the Force performance. ¡@"During my recent visit to Police Headquarters I was much impressed by the many uses of advanced processes and equipment, for example, the computer assisted fingerprint identification system, which enables the Force to reduce the average time required for matching from days to hours.Ó ¡@Dr Chung noted that the overall crime rate in Hong Kong had bucked the world trend and been gradually falling since the early 1980s. "Hong Kong today has the lowest overall crime rate of its past 15 years. On this basis, it is one of the safest cities in the world," he said. ¡@He said an efficient and effective police force was important, but equally important was a humane and courteous one. ¡@"I recognise that it is not easy to fulfil these requirements as the nature of police work is often confrontational and provocative. But I am confident that the graduating officers will live up to the expectations of the community.Ó ¡@At the passing-out parade, Dr Chung also reiterated that Hong Kong people continued to enjoy freedom of speech and demonstration under the one-country-two-systems concept.
Dr The Honourable Chung Sze-yuen reviews the new Police Training School graduates	Proud moment: Family and friends watch as new graduates march by with precision