A new posting policy will come into force on November 1 to provide flexibility for postings requiring Police Tactical Unit (PTU) experience, and to enhance the career development of Junior Police Officers (JPOs).

Major Formation Commanders and staff associations have unanimously supported the new policy following a Force-wide consultation.

The JPO Division of the Human Resources Branch of Personnel Wing came up with the new policy after having reviewed the relevance of PTU experience to JPO posts, in the wake of the number of PTU companies having been reduced each year from nine to four, and PTU attachment extended from 46 to 65 weeks.

The JPO Division has also taken into consideration that as a result of the reduction, there will be less opportunities for JPOs to receive PTU training, thus posing a problem for JPO posts that require PTU experience as a selection criteria, and depriving JPOs without PTU training of the opportunities to serve in posts requiring "essential" PTU experience.

The new policy has laid down a new principle for classifying PTU experience as an "essential" or "preferable" selection criteria. Under the new policy, "Internal Security" or "PTU Expertise" will be used as the principle to decide whether PTU experience is to be classified as "essential" in selection criteria. For other posts, Formation Commanders may exercise their discretion to classify PTU experience as "preferable" in selection criteria. In addition, they should, during their selection exercises, consider accepting Non-commissioned Officers (NCOs) with PTU experience of a lower rank.

Based on the new principle, the number of posts requiring PTU experience as "essential" will be significantly reduced from 15 to six. Among the six posts, four are related to internal security matters, such as Emergency Units, Regional Traffic Duties Units, Quick Reaction Force New Territories North, and the post of Transport Sergeant. The other two posts are PTU training staff and Police Training School staff who are responsible for training on internal security, weapon and tactics.

Under the new policy, formations or units will fine-tune existing selection criteria requiring PTU experience, so as to provide opportunities for JPOs without PTU training to gain exposure in various postings.