The results of all these improvements have been impressive. This was borne out by the recent ad hoc staff opinion survey. Staff members take great pride in achieving this level of professionalism and they are firmly behind the Force's drive for continuous improvement.

Eighty percent of staff either support or strongly support the various improvements/achievements made by the Force over the last two years. This was the major finding of an ad hoc staff opinion survey conducted by Service Quality Wing (SQW) between January 30, 2003 and February 4, 2003. The purpose of the survey, which sought the views of 1,010 disciplined and civilian staff, representing 3% of Force members, was threefold, namely:

* to review the overall achievements/improvements of the Force made over the past two years;

* to seek staff views on the degree of support for these improvements; and

* to identify areas which require further commitment of resources to improve service efficiency, effectiveness and economy.

The Director of Management Services, Mr Yam Tat-wing, told Offbeat that the survey was designed to provide valuable information for senior management to plan and prioritise areas requiring Force attention. That all ranks and civilian grades in the Force were consulted was deliberate, allowing all levels to have an input.

In conducting the survey, a random group of officers within the Force were provided with a list of 136 examples of improvements and achievements made by the Force over the past two years. The identified improvements were listed under nine headings that matched the Commissioner's six operational and three management priorities. Respondents were then asked to give a general comment on their degree of support for the improvements, indicate which areas of improvement they are most satisfied with, and lastly give an opinion as to which areas they consider need to be provided with additional resources.

Some of these improvements include the provision of better equipment to enhance the operational efficiency and safety of frontline officers, improved communications, harnessing the latest technology to support the Force's operational efficiency and crime investigations, service improvements and more training opportunities, etc. Examples of key improvements are available for reference at the table provided.

Findings

The eighty percent overall support rating for the various improvements/achievements has come as no major surprise as many of these have directly benefited the respondents themselves.

More interesting were the figures showing areas respondents were most satisfied with. Out of the total, 28.7% felt that the Force was most successful in its use of new technology, knowledge and equipment. From this, it would seem that respondents are particularly pleased with the Force's efforts to provide members with the specialist equipment and knowledge they need to do their jobs. The introduction of new patrol shoes, Goretex caps, new motorcycles, new vans and other improved equipment has been popular. Force members also realize that initiatives such as the setting up of a Technology Crime Division, the enhancement of the Major Incident Investigation and Disaster Support System, and the rationalization of crime duties at divisional and district level demonstrate the Force's commitment to the use of technology and professionalism.

Force members were next most satisfied with the Force's ability to maintain a strong uniform presence, with 21.7% believing that the Force had done best in this area. Respondents considered that initiatives such as station amalgamation projects, the introduction of flexible refreshment breaks and the provision of extra Emergency Unit cars from existing resources had all helped to maintain high uniform branch visibility.

Initiatives such as an enhancement to the Force's command and control system and the introduction of mobile telephones to frontline officers ensured that 10.7% of respondents were most satisfied with the Force's ability to provide a fast and effective response to emergencies and major incidents.

Interestingly enough, a great majority of respondents, inclusive of all ranks, considered the use of new technology, knowledge, and equipment as the area providing the most satisfaction, whereas a substantial number of them were satisfied with a strong visible police presence.

Notwithstanding that the 'do not support' response (1% of replies, the majority Uniformed Branch Police Constables) was very low, Force management nevertheless took their views seriously. A careful analysis of the replies of these respondents found that, in overall terms, they were still satisfied with the Force improvements achieved over the past two years. However, they indicated a lack of support because they wished more to be done and the current level of improvements did not meet their expectations. Despite this, these respondents were most satisfied with the Force's performance in maintaining a strong visible uniform presence and they had also made a number of valuable suggestions on the need for further resources. It was noted that there were no respondents showing "strongly not support" for the improvements listed in the survey.

In respect of those areas requiring further resourcing, respondents considered that priority should be given to the following three areas:

Firstly, the maintenance of a strong and visible police presence. Many valuable suggestions were received in connection with this, including the deployment of more manpower by further civilianisation of police posts and the streamlining of work processes. Other ideas included the modification of uniforms to make police officers more visible.

Secondly, respondents felt that more resources should be given to the effort to enlist public assistance. Suggestions to ensure this included the introduction of a simplified 'Good Citizen Award Scheme', greater use of the media to get over the police message and the development of services that can be electronically delivered to the public.

Lastly, it was considered that more resources needed to be given to the use of new technology, knowledge and equipment. Suggestions in this area included the provision of laptop computers and Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), connected to the police command and control system, for officers on mobile patrol. Minimizing the weight of equipment carried by uniform branch officers and providing upgrades to various pieces of equipment currently in use was also mentioned.

In response to the survey results, Mr Yam commented that it had provided senior management with valuable opinions and data which would be taken into consideration in strategic planning and when allocating resources. Mr Yam further commented that whilst committed to continuous improvement and the provision of a modern and caring service, members of the Force could rightly be proud of their recent achievements and should reflect upon them.

The results of the ad hoc survey are particularly pleasing when taken together with other achievements, such as:

* overall crime was maintained at low levels whilst the general law and order situation remained stable;

* the Force scored an overall satisfaction rating of 80% in the latest Customer Satisfaction Survey. This was an increase of 4% on the 2000 survey;

* a Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups survey conducted in 2002 gave the Force a mark of 7.2 out of a possible 10 in terms of trust in the organisation. This was the highest mark achieved by any organization covered by the survey, and

* the Force also won 'the Best Public Image Award (silver)' in the Civil Service Bureau organised Outstanding Customer Service Award Scheme 2002/03.

Key Improvements between 2001 and 2003

* Small Patrol Cars scheme

* Additional EU cars from current EU resources

* Provision of BMW R850RT motorcycles

* Pilot scheme on Force Working Dress

* Issuing mobile telephones to frontline officers

* Pilot scheme on the issue of Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) to frontline officers

* Wireless communications digital radio system for Marine and Crime formations

* Building of a state-of-the-art Tactical Training Complex

* Development of the Command and Control Communication System III (CCIII)

* Rollout of the Major Incident Investigation and Disaster Support System II (MIIDSS II)

* Establishment of Technology Crime Division (TCD)

* Upgrading the capability of the Criminal Intelligence Computer System (CICS)

* Use of cutting-edge techniques in forensic science (e.g. DNA)

* Notable success as a result of the Commissioner's priorities on combating three key crime areas: violent crime, psychotropic drug activities involving young people, and triad and other organized crime activities

* Hosting of an international law enforcement conference on Transnational Organized Crime

* Enhancing intelligence exchange with the Mainland authorities to combat and prevent crimes

* Commissioner's informal luncheons and garden parties to enhance internal communications

* Increasing the scope of services to the public that can be electronically delivered through the continued development of e-report room and e-policing

* Development of POINT-from-HOME

* Introduction of a new Public Relations Strategy

* Increasing overseas training opportunities and Mainland visits for officers at all ranks

* Implementation of the Knowledge Management (KM) system

* Promotion of Force Values through the Living the Values programme

* Through the Customer Service Improvement Project (CSIP), upgrading the facilities in police stations

* Inculcating the culture of continuous learning

* Promoting a healthy lifestyle culture