 WPC Lo Hoi-yan was praised by her Regional Commander for her handling of the crisis | Young Woman Police Constable Lo Hoi-yan, an Orderly at the Regional Control and Command Centre (RCCC) New Territories, had to rise to the occasion when she was asked to take an emergency call from a woman threatening to commit suicide until an experienced police negotiator could arrive. Through resourcefulness and her ability to remain calm under pressure, WPC Lo managed to keep the caller on the phone for over two hours, and eventually talked her out of killing herself . . . |
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IT all began around 5:40pm on 8 June, when an emergency 999 operator at RCCC NT received a call from a distraught woman who claimed she was going to jump from a building after being abandoned by her husband and hounded by loansharks. Although the woman refused to disclose her telephone number or where she was calling from, her emotional state of mind and tormented voice left little doubt that she intended to end her life. Alerted to the situation, RCCC NT supervisors asked WPC Lo to take the call with a view to keeping the woman on the line until an experienced police negotiator could be contacted to take over. Although inexperienced in handling such calls, WPC Lo accepted the task without hesitation and immediately began trying to calm down the caller so that she would stay on the line long enough to divulge her exact location in order to dispatch police and Fire Services Department officers to the scene to attempt a rescue. "Everything happened so quickly, there was really no time to get detailed instructions on how to deal with this situation," recalled WPC Lo. "But I knew I had to calm the woman down -- and keep her from hanging up. That was the biggest challenge I faced. She was extremely emotional and distressed. So I kept the woman talking. We talked and talked. Eventually she began to compose herself when she found that I was willing to listen, and I was able to build up a bond of trust with her." In the meantime, police negotiators arrived at the RCCC NT, but after monitoring the telephone conversation and the rapport that WPC Lo had established with the woman, the team leader decided to let WPC Lo continue talking. Eventually WPC Lo persuaded the caller not to end her life and managed to get the woman to tell her where she was located, at which time police and rescue officers of the Fire Services Department were dispatched to the scene. Then in a co-ordinated effort, after the caller and WPC Lo ended their conversation, rescuers gained access into the woman's flat where they found her in a calm emotional state and receptive to counsel and the idea of seeking constructive help for her problems. Recalled WPC Lo: "It wasn't until after I hung up the phone that I realised I had been talking to the woman for well over two hours without a break. Although I was tired and hungry, I was greatly relieved to learn that the woman had been saved." For her part, WPC Lo Hoi-yan, who was complimented by the Regional Commander NT for her capable handling of the crisis situation, attributed her success to being "a good listener and remaining astute, patient and flexible". | |
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ROLLING up their sleeves and getting down to business, the Commissioner of Police and members of the Strategic Directions Group spent July 8 in active discussions aimed at setting a course to help lead the Force into the new millennium. Armed with ideas and recommendations harvested from the Force's many internal and external opinion surveys, as well as feedback generated from over 1,000 living-the-values workshops, the objectives of this Senior Directorate's Awayday was to initiate action on key concerns of police officers and the public, to review the Force Strategic Directions, to work out a theme for the next phase of the living-the-values campaign - and to plan the way forward for next five years. |  CP Hui Ki-on making a point during the Awayday with members of the Senior Directorate who want to ensure their "Strategic directions are a cohesive package of initiatives that support the Force vision and values, and are credible and acceptable to officers of all ranks, as well as members of the public and the government" |
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Because of the transfer of sovereignty and the ensuing transitional period, the Commissioner felt it was appropriate to review his Strategic Directions published about 18 months ago and the Group took this opportunity to do so. AT the conclusion of the nine-hour session of active discussions, CP and all members of the Strategic Directions Group agreed on several major points the foremost being to uphold their conviction to examine and address those issues highlighted by the feedback of surveys and workshops - and that the strategic directives of the Force will be revised taking note of all the feedback from staff, the public and members of the Senior Directorate. Over the past three years the Force has conducted staff opinion surveys, an internal communications survey, public opinion surveys and customer satisfaction surveys. The importance of these surveys (as well as the living-the-values workshops which upon conclusion produced a list of recommendations about Force management), is inestimable in terms of their ability to take the pulse of, and illuminate what's important to, Force members from all ranks. Rarely do the schedules of the Commissioner and members of the Senior Directorate permit them the opportunity to be all in one place at one time for a full day. So the nine-hour session was a testament to the importance placed on the views and opinions of Force members. And the group looked at the major recommendations and feedback from police and members of the public for each survey. "We take the views and opinions of Force members very seriously," said Senior Directorate participants after the meeting. "This Awayday took place because we are listening - and responding - to their key concerns. There's no point in our staff serving the public well without our own staff being well-served." At the conclusion of the day, CP and all members of the Strategic Directions Group also agreed that Force management must persist in enhancing its openness and transparency, readily communicating decisions to all levels as early as possible. As importantly, it was agreed that the Force continue to be forward-looking in its policing taking into account the future needs of Hong Kong in terms of population growth, the development of new infrastructure and associated activities, the experience gained in the past two years, the recent economic downturn and how it all will impact on the Force. To this end, the Strategic Directions Group is determined to bring in more technology, information and communications systems and professional training to support frontline officers, while continuing to make major improvements to police report rooms, changing rooms, resource centres and so forth. The decision was also reached to keep on developing a service culture within the Force that will continue to improve officers' working attitudes, their conditions of service, while providing quality service to both external and internal customers. Lastly, the next round of the living-the-values campaign will be promoted by a series of workshops whose focus will be honesty and integrity, effective communication and trust among colleagues of all ranks. The revised and refined statement of major issues and Force Strategic Directions will be issued in October this year. | |
