24 Police singled out under new honours and awards system for disciplined services A NEW system of honours and awards has been approved by Hong Kong's Chief Executive to give recognition to meritorious and long service rendered by officers of the disciplined services. The new system comprises three categories: the Distinguished Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal and Long Service Medal and Clasps. Hong Kong's Chief Executive will personally be honouring members of the Force later this year by handing out one Bronze Bauhinia Star, one Hong Kogn Police Medal for Distinguished Service, and 21 Hong Kong Police Medals for Meritorious Service. This is the first full honours list since the reunification. Distinguished Service Medals are available for directorate officers in the five major disciplined services in recognition of their exceptional and meritorious service to the community. The five major disciplined services are Hong Kong's Police, Fire, Immigration, Customs and Excise, and Correctional services. Meritorious Service Medals can be awarded to officers of all ranks from the five major disciplined services for valuable service characterised by resourcefulness and devotion to duty marked by exceptional ability, merit and exemplary conduct. Long Service Medals and Clasps will be awarded to officers with exemplary character and conduct who have completed years of satisfactory service. Police officers who have been awarded decorations of medals by the People's Republic of China or the Hong Kong SAR of the People's Republic of China will wear them when attending the following ceremonies of functions in uniform: State ceremonies; non-Force ceremonial parades; official funerals and memorial services; Guards of Honour; Force ceremonial parades, excluding medal presentations; Force funerals with full honours ;on other occasions as ordered ;and at mess or other social functions where uniform is worn, such as balls(when miniatures will be worn). Unless the Commissioner of Police directs otherwise, officers who have been awarded decorations or medals by the previous sovereign power, or decorations or medals awarded by other foreign governments and permitted by the previous sovereign power to be worn, may wear them in addition to any decorations or medals mentioned earlier, when attending the following internal Force ceremonies or functions in uniform: Force ceremonial parades, excluding recipients at medal presentations; Force funerals with full honours; on other occasions as ordered ;and at mess or other social functions where mess uniform is worn, such as balls (when miniatures will be worn). On occasions when police officers are not wearing decorations or medals, they will wear the ribbons of all awards made by the People's Republic of China or the Hong Kong SAR of the People's Republic of China. They may also wear the ribbons of awards given by the previous sovereign power, awards by other foreign governments permitted by the previous sovereign power to be worn, and awards by foreign governments made after 1 July 1997. The Commissioner's directive of wearing decorations and medals as well as medal ribbons has been stipulated in the Force Procedure Manual which will be disseminated on the Reference Material computer system shortly.