JPO strives for brighter future

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It is the story of one of the many young junior police officers who are working hard for higher academic qualifications, a better career prospect and a brighter future. Woman Police Constable Chan Yuk-lan from Identification Bureau (IB), during an interview with OffBeat, was anxious to share with fellow officers the experiences of her efforts since passing out from Police Training School in 1999.

Having gone through the bitters and sweets of her struggle, Miss Chan advises her colleagues to "persist and never give up so easily" in the face of adversities. She noted: "For me, it has been a hard battle to pursue continuous studies after work. Two or three times a week, I've to rush to an evening school after work so as not to miss my lessons. On the other days, I've no leisure for entertainment, and have to work for school homework or examinations at home or in public libraries.

"Anyway, everyday I feel very tired on returning home; at night I can only manage a couple of hours' sleep. This kind of life of 'work-cum-studies' is really taxing. But looking back today, I don't feel I've suffered any great loss, and on the contrary I'm proud of my persistence and perseverance, as well as those of my evening school classmates.

"If I give up because of setback, then I will never be able to appreciate what 'real successes' mean."

Not long after leaving PTS, Miss Chan set her goal of pursuing self-enhancement, thanks to the encouragement of her former course instructor in PTS, Woman Station Sergeant Yuen Wai-han. She described WSSGT Yuen as her "enlightenment teacher", who had inspired her to make the grade in her work and life, and advised her on how to cope with difficulties and appreciate the values of life.

So far, Miss Chan's efforts to attain her self-enhancement goal have paid off to some extent - she has obtained a Higher Diploma in Criminal Justice from the University of Hong Kong, a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer 2000 Certificate from a private institute, and several certificates of training courses run by universities on the Mainland. She passed the examination for promotion to Sergeant with credit in October 2002, less than four years after leaving PTS.

After obtaining her higher diploma, Miss Chan continued to study for a three-year Bachelor Degree Course on Criminal Justice at the University of Hong Kong. These had earned her a fourth prize in the Force's Effective Learners Award of 2003-04.

Miss Chan is expected to obtain her Bachelor of Arts degree next year, but she does not rest on her laurels. Besides WSSGT Yuen, she is also grateful to her superiors in IB for their support and encouragement. With their nominations, she attended a Mainland Public Security Study Programme at the Chinese People's Public Security University in Beijing in March this year, and a Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) Training Programme in 2003. The university course had also taken her to Chongqing, where she had attended talks on public security work and visited public security facilities.

Miss Chan is very impressed with what she had learned and seen in Beijing and Chongqing. "The trip was quite an experience for me, giving me a better idea of the economy, social conditions, criminal law and law enforcement work on the Mainland," she noted.

She also pointed out that the NGOs Training Programme had provided her with an insight into the problems of juvenile delinquency, and into how social workers are helping youth-at-risk to steer a straight path.

Acquiring job skills

Miss Chan went on to say that IB had also given her opportunities to acquire job skills that are essential to her duties. She had attended in-house courses on collecting fingerprints and photography, as well as courses on taking DNA and Buccal Swab samples, run by the Government Laboratory.

Apart from the opportunities provided by IB, Miss Chan had also enrolled in various training courses in Hong Kong and the Mainland at her own cost. These included a course for civil servants on Mainland's law, politics, social conditions and history at the Beijing University, a training course for Hong Kong Police Officers at the Zhongshan University in Guangzhou, and a Chinese Studies Course for Hong Kong Disciplined Forces at the Jinan University in Guangzhou.

Miss Chan's self-enhancement efforts have also impressed the principal of the MFBM Chan Lui Chung Tak Memorial College, where she had completed her secondary education. At the principal's invitation, Miss Chan returned to the school earlier in the year to share with some 500 students her experiences and views of her work, continuous studies, problems and aspirations.

In her hectic life of work and studies, Miss Chan takes time out to relax with sports in response to the Force's call for healthy lifestyle. She actively takes part in the Force's District Ping Pong Competition and other sporting events, and represented the Force in the Corporate Games Track and Field Competition in 2002 and 2003.

At the end of the interview, Miss Chan told OffBeat that she had taken police work as her "lifetime career" - a goal she is trying her best to attain.

WPC Chan (left) with her former PTS Course Instructor, WSSGT Yuen Wai-han at the Effective Learners Award Presentation