Organised jointly by Service Quality Wing, Training Wing and the Psychological Services Group, the workshops will be held from March 1 to June 30.

Featuring the theme of "Building a Caring Workforce", Wave V emphasises the value of care and understanding as a core component in delivering quality service through the joint efforts of Force management and all members of the Force.

To achieve this objective, a series of a one-day workshop will be provided for all Force members through case studies of 10 real life stories. These stories were featured in four video episodes each focusing on different components of "care", namely "self-care and modelling"; "care and sensitivity"; "care at times of adversity" and "critical incidents", as well as "caring through mutual understanding and expression of mutual expectations".

It is hoped that through the workshop, officers will look after their own well being and fully understand the importance of peer support; pay attention to the well being of their fellow workers and provide assistance or support when required.

OffBeat invited seven facilitators to share their views regarding the training course they have attended. They are Woman Chief Inspector Ngan Suk-fan from Complaints Against Police Office, Senior Inspector Wong Shu-fong from Weapons Training Division, Executive Officer Shiu Suet-shan from Civilian Staff Relations Section, Woman Detective Station Sergeant Kwan Ah-hing from Yau Tsim District, Woman Detective Sergeant Tang Yin-sheung from Western District, Sergeant Kwok Kam-fai from Lantau South Division, and Police Constable Chan Siu-shing from Western Division.

The facilitators felt that the scenarios illustrated in the episodes served as a very good reminder about those important values. They also considered the workshop useful in making officers more aware of their roles in enhancing caring in the Force.

"After the training, I realised how important self care is. Nowadays, people place great emphasis on their work but neglect self-care. If we do not care about ourselves, how can we care about others? In other words, if our colleagues do not have a warm and caring working environment, how can they care about members of the public and provide them with a quality service?" asked WCIP Ngan.

SIP Wong, who has worked in the Force for more than 30 years, particularly recognised the importance of showing care. "I still remembered the support my colleagues showed me after I had failed in the Probationary Inspector Course Examination a long time ago. I was so upset at that time, but when my squad mates said 'we'll stand by you!' I felt someone did care about me. This had helped me regain confidence," he said.

"I especially have a strong feeling about sensitivity. One of my colleagues recently discovered she was suffering from a serious illness that could take her life. On learning this, I blamed myself for not being sensitive to her plight at an earlier stage. So I always remind myself to be more sensitive to what happens to my colleagues," sighed D/WSGT Kwan.

EO Shiu believes that the workshop would foster mutual understanding among disciplined and civilian staff as regards the contributions by different Formations.

SGT Kwok concurred with EO Shiu's views. "I had a communication problem with a civilian staff recently. If I haven't attended this course, I would have easily got angry, and argued with him. However, as we have different cultures and ways of doing things, I tried to look at things from his stance. The problem was solved eventually," noted SGT Kwok.

D/WSGT Tang said many of her colleagues did care for others, adding that she was very impressed with the big help a former Training and Staff Relations Officer had offered to a colleague injured in a traffic incident.

On how to show care in daily life, PC Chan said just a "Hello" or a few kind words would do the trick. "Supervisors' appreciation would, of course, relieve much of our work pressure," he concluded.

Seven facilitators share views of their roles in building a caring workforce