Concerted effort by the Force since 1995 by introducing a string of initiatives within the Force as well as educating and enhancing its services to meet the demands of the general public has borne fruit.

Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang stresses the importance of quality service

The Civil Service Bureau launched the CSEA Scheme in 1999, which has since become an annual event, to recognise the achievement of civil servants in customer service and in promoting a customer focused culture in the civil service. That year, the Force won two Excellence Awards. The following year, North Point Division took the 1st runner-up status in the Large Team Category.

The focus of this year's competition has been set to give recognition on a departmental basis, and the organisers invited all government bureaux/departments to participate in the Scheme and compete for the Award. This ended up with 28 bureaux/departments competing for the Award.

"To promote a service culture, the Force Service Quality Strategy was launched in 1995. This aims at developing a change process which involves staff at all levels, to continuously improve our service efficiency, effectiveness and economy and to meet the expectations of our customers, both external and internal," Mr Yeung told OffBeat.

A Force-wide consultation was conducted afterwards. After evaluating all the comments and suggestions, the Force formulated a "Vision and Statement of Common Purpose and Values" (the Statement). The Statement provides a clear direction (Vision), specifies the core functions (Common Purpose) and provides guiding principles (Values) to Force members in the execution of duties.

Mr Yeung pointed out that every year several million people make direct contact with officers, either at the stations or in the streets. "It is important," he continued, "that our frontline officers fully understand the importance of these contacts which when improperly handled would reflect on the Force as a whole."

Following the launch of the Statement, Living the Values Workshops have been conducted since 1997. The purpose of the workshops is to provide a structured discussion forum for enhancing awareness and understanding of Force values, allowing officers to air views on areas of concern and providing feedback to top management.

The commencement of the Customer Service Improvement Project (CSIP) was a great step forward in reinforcing our Service Quality Strategy, and in realising the concepts. The refurbishment of 57 stations with the help of Planning and Development Branch is aimed at providing a friendlier, more welcoming ambience for the public.

"To ensure that our service standard is not lapsing, we regularly conduct independent Public Opinion and Customer Satisfaction Surveys. These surveys revealed that more than 70 per cent of those interviewed said they were confident in the Force while 84 per cent felt safe during daytime.

"Although our efforts have been recognised, we must not be complacent and rest on our laurels. The Service Quality Wing will continue to uphold the Force's Mission and maintain the momentum," Mr Yeung added.