Rising
to the Challenge
We are fully prepared
There are Eight Critical Issues the Force must address if it is to successfully deal with new challenges presented to it. That was the message with which Commissioner Mr Tsang Yam-pui emerged from a recent strategic planning session held on April 24 and 25. During these two days Force Management reviewed the progress of the Three-year Strategic Action Plan and mapped out the Force strategic direction for the next three years.
Commissioner Mr Tsang Yam-pui and his Senior Directorate Group addressing the Eight Critical Issues
"I am pleased to confirm that 28 out of 51 projects under the Strategic Action Plan have been completed successfully and that timely progress on the remaining 23 is reassuringly good," Mr Tsang said.
"We must fully appreciate the situation Hong Kong and its neighbouring areas are facing and anticipate what might happen in the future such that we are fully prepared for the challenges ahead of us. That was why, after weeks of intensive work, the Preparatory Work Committee presented my colleagues and I with Eight Critical Issues requiring strategic direction.
"The Eight Critical Issues identified were
divided into three categories for our consideration: (a) Ongoing Issues;
(b) Rising Challenges, and (c) Mainland Issues. We have considered them
most carefully and have concluded that 'Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities & Threats' (SWOT) analyses of each allowed us to
identify options for dealing with each of them.
Implementation is Vital
"My colleagues will now go back to the Major Formation Commanders (MFCs) and work out with them and their senior staff the most efficacious manner in which our decisions can be implemented. And remember that it is implementation that will ensure our success. It will be the next critical stage in this complex exercise, and the next step will see the production of a revised Strategic Action Plan that will be published and explained to all ranks and grades.
"We shall," said Mr Tsang, "focus our efforts in four key areas:
(1) Provide the most efficient, effective and caring service to the public;
(2) Support the Government's Pearl River Delta Integration Policies;
(3) Manage human resource effectively to enhance motivation and career development, and
(4) Continue to exploit Information Technology development within the Force."
Mr Tsang Yam-pui and members of the Senior Directorate Group (SDG), Deputy Commissioners Mr Lee Ming-kwai and Mr Fung Siu-yuen, and Senior Assistant Commissioners Mr Tang King-shing, Mr Chau Foo-cheong, Mr Foo Tsun-kong, Mr Yam Tat-wing, and the Director of Finance, Administration & Planning Mr Ng Sek-hon, held the two-day session titled 'SDG Review Conference' under the facilitation by Mr Ng Wai-kit (himself, a former member of SDG).
The session marked the climax in a process that started with an assessment of the environment in which the Hong Kong Police are currently operating under the PESTeL model: Political; Economic; Social; Technological; Ethical, and Legal. Most of this research was done through the Internet, but involved material from overseas law enforcement agencies, in-house data and interviews with Force Senior Management.
Other key areas affecting the Force were also covered to complement the scan. They were: International (Political); Infrastructure (Economic); Force Issues (Social); Manpower Planning; Staff Relations, and New Ideas/Initiatives.
Then it was the turn of the MFCs to conduct SWOT analyses and respond to the Environmental Scanning Report under five main headings: Role; Strengths & Weaknesses; Future Challenges & Threats; Potential Opportunities, and Other Issues.
Despite their different roles and local factors most
identified their Strengths as including highly professional staff,
state-of-the-art equipment, efficient procedures and systems, and the high
level of public confidence enjoyed. Weaknesses mostly centred on
inadequacy of resources and various Human Resource Management (HRM)
problems such as Health Impaired Officers , Officers with Unmanageable
Debt , motivation, recruitment and succession planning.
Careful Analysis
An increasingly polarised and politicised society and the current economic downturn all present Challenges & Threats in that they increase demand on Force resources. But, under opportunities, however, the coming Efficiency Savings Exercise is largely seen as a positive opportunity for the Force to review its organisational structure, and to improve and enhance efficiency.
The Other Issues raised were those of the Public-Private Approach, the impact of 24-hour boundary crossing, the impact on HRM of the Civil Service Provident Fund, polarisation of wealth and political opinion and the growing involvement in crime by ethnic minorities and Mainlanders.
In fact, the amount of information collected could never have been presented to the SDG in its raw form. There was simply too much of it. But that is where the Force was able to draw upon a management expertise that has seen exponential growth in quality over the last few years.
For two weeks prior to April 24, a Preparatory Work Committee, headed by Assistant Commissioner (Service Quality) Mr Wong Doon-yee and comprising major formations' delegates, considered all the information and opinions obtained to date, and reduced them to Eight Critical Issues for consideration by the SDG.
In his concluding remarks, Mr Tsang said, "The conference was a very useful exercise. It is an invaluable opportunity for Senior Management to consider the overall situation and the rising challenges for the Force. I am very satisfied with the result and the strategic directions made in the conference will be transformed into action projects."
OffBeat will report again in the first
instance when the revised Strategic Action Plan is ready.