Balances in Law Enforcement
Column Series II - Special Duties
More than investigation work
For Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) officers, their job is much more than bringing a child abuser to justice - they have to take care of the well being of the victims, their families and family members, and even the suspects.
According to their Charter, CAIU officers' main duty is to investigate sexual abuse of children aged below 17 by family members, extended family members, or persons entrusted with their care. During the course of their investigations, CAIU officers often have to handle problems affecting the victims or their families in conjunction with other departments or non-governmental agencies.
These special characteristics, in the views of Sergeant Chan Siu-hung of CAIU NTS and Woman Police Constable May Lau Suk-mei of CAIU KE, have made their work somewhat different from other criminal investigation work. As such, CAIU officers have to possess professional knowledge and attitude, and adopt different procedures and skills for their work. And this also explains why CAIU officers, before taking on their job, have to attend a two-week "Basic Training Programme on Child Protection Special Investigation" jointly organised by the Child Protection Policy Unit of Crime Wing and Social Welfare Department.
In an interview for this column, both officers explained why investigation of sexual abuse of children requires a different approach, and spoke of their problems and work pressure, as well as their observations, feelings and job satisfaction.
Child's welfare a priority
They pointed out that as sexual abuse of children is by nature a "sad and tragic" case, CAIU officers' overriding concern at the outset of investigation is to protect the victim from further harm.
"That's why we keep a low profile after the alleged abuser is arrested. We don't want to see anybody suffer further harm as a result of media publicity. The foremost task for us is, therefore, to protect the victims and help their families if it is necessary." SGT Chan explained.
"Even if the abuser is convicted, there might be no 'winners' at the end of the day. This is something we don't want to see!" he lamented.
To win trust and confidence
Both SGT Chan and WPC Lau pointed out that another problem for CAIU officers was how the victims and their families viewed their roles.
"We've to make the victims and their families realise that we're not coming to get someone into jail, but to find out the truth and to prevent something so terrible and tragic from happening again in the future. For these, we have to win their trust, and convince them that we do care for everybody. Unlike other investigation teams, which normally would not have to bear the victims and their families in mind when they went off duty, CAIU officers have to provide a full coverage protection plan for them. Whenever victims suffer from emotional distress or need assistance, CAIU officers would immediately liaise with Social Welfare Department for necessary arrangements and follow up actions," said WPC Lau.
Work pressure
"The victim's family may be subject to tremendous changes, especially when the alleged abuser is the family's bread-winner. And there may be other problems, for example the victim's relationship with her mother and siblings and the abuser's relationship with his wife may turn sour. All these will bring pressure to our investigation work," SGT Chan added.
SGT Chan pointed out that acquittal of the alleged abuser by the court also brought pressure, to some extent, on both the victim and CAIU officers. He said: "As long as we've done all that we ought to do, whether the accused is guilty is a matter for the court, but the victim, who has bravely spoken up with our encouragement, would be very upset that nobody believes in what she has said."
Speaking of the problems of investigation work, WPC Lau said there were cases of victims being persuaded or stopped by their families from telling the truth to the police, or being rejected for telling the truth. Citing an example, she said the mother of a girl sexually abused by her father had repeatedly tried to stop the girl from attending a video-recorded interview. The girl was eventually rejected by her family and placed in the care of the Social Welfare Department after her father was sent to jail.
Both SGT Chan and WPC Lau take a positive view of work pressure.
Said SGT Chan: "Pressure is just part of our work, but you can turn it into a driving force. If you can cope with it, you will have more confidence in your work in the future!"
"For us, work pressure is a kind of test or trial. Not only individual officers but also the whole team are subject to work pressure. But our team spirit is very high in the face of pressure," said WPC Lau.
Job satisfaction
Speaking of job satisfaction, SGT Chan said: "We're not seeking praise or fame. Being able to help those who really need help, gives me a lot of job satisfaction!"
For WPC Lau, job satisfaction mainly comes from victims' appreciation of her work and the friendship she has cultivated with the victims. "It's so nice to have received their Christmas cards and phone calls that they are doing fine. I'm very glad that they appreciate all we've done is for their interest, and take us as friends!" she said.
"A pat on the back by superiors is also job satisfaction, but to get a job well done will take a lot of efforts!" WPC Lau added.
"Our job is very professional, and calls for affection and compassion on the part of CAIU officers. What we see and come across are very unpleasant, and we've to find ways to overcome these. More important is the fact that we've rendered a service and resolved a problem for society. The CAIU is definitely a unique, important and valuable unit! Other investigation units could not take up its job. Therefore, the position of CAIU should be further recognised and emphasised," SGT Chan concluded.
Comments by Psychological Services Group (PSG)
Interviewing SGT Chan and WPC Lau about their job in CAIU makes one realise that job satisfaction does not necessary come from handling big cases, compliments, promotion or recognition. In fact, the child abuse cases handled by CAIU are often complicated and delicate in nature. While SGT Chan and WPC Lau have to find out the truth in every case, they at the same time have to take care of the feelings and psychological needs of the victims and even the abuser. Unlike other crime units, they need to maintain a low profile even when they have successfully completed a case. Nor do they get recognition from colleagues. Not fully understanding their duties, some colleagues tease at CAIU for just handling "small" cases. Despite these negative factors, SGT Chan and WPC Lau thoroughly enjoyed their work. Psychological researches on work behaviour have found that apart from recognition and promotion, there are other intrinsic features of the work, which determine one's level of job satisfaction. These features include skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, feedback and leader behaviour, etc.
For SGT Chan and WPC Lau, their sources of job satisfaction are (1) Task Significance - they find their job very meaningful as they can save the children directly from abusive behaviours; (2) Positive Feedback from Services Users - their enthusiasm and caring attitude win the trust of the children during the investigation process; some children whom they have handled have given them phone calls after completion of a case; (3) Enriched Investigation Skills - because of the special nature of their duties, CAIU officers have to receive professional training on the psychology of victims and abusers, as well as special interviewing techniques, etc. These training helps enrich their skills and experiences in investigation; and (4) Uniqueness - they are also proud of being part of the team which is unique in Asian countries, as Hong Kong is now the only place which has a proper legal procedure to protect children against sexual abuse.
We spend about one-third of our life at work. Therefore, the degree of job satisfaction is one important indicator of one's psychological well being. We may not have much control over external political and economical factors. However, we can learn to change our own internal environment - to look for meaning in our job, to develop enthusiasm for helping our service users, or to find opportunities to enrich our skills and knowledge. Even "small" duties can offer job satisfaction!
Seek advice and help from the Psychological Services Group: 2866-6206 (5th floor, 111 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay). PEN:psg@police.gov.hk
(All cases will be kept in strict confidence.)
SGT Chan and WPC Lau take great pride in their work