Opportunities for officers abound in the Force

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What he had achieved in his personal development during the past 37 years with the Force is an example of what the opportunities could offer for an officer, he told Offbeat during an interview shortly before proceeding on pre-retirement leave on February 3.

He added: "I'm grateful for what the Force has offered me, like exposure to different types of jobs, training, continuing education, incentive and encouragement, etc. These have kept me going and making progress on many aspects during the past 37years.

"Since joining the Force as an inspector at the age of about 20, I have been given different types of responsibilities and many chances to develop my potential, rise to challenges and acquire knowledge and valuable experiences, much to the benefit of my personal growth. I'm sure all these opportunities are also available to every member of the Force."

His parting advice to officers is: "If you work hard and are devoted to your duties, there'll be nothing too difficult for you, and opportunities will be on your way."

Great Strides on Many Fronts

Mr Foo is bowing out with a mixed feeling - though looking forward to "doing things that I didn't have much time to do in the past", he misses "a very fine police force that has made great strides on many, many different fronts". It is a big satisfaction for him to have witnessed the many changes for the better in terms of efficiency, productivity, service quality, equipment, facilities, office accommodation and uniform, etc.

The focuses of the changes were "efficiency, practicality and getting results", he pointed out.

"The Force has set very clear goals and objectives, cut down bureaucracy and red-tape, and handled staff requests for resources with flexibility. What we're doing now is aiming at achieving goals and objectives, and, more importantly, getting results. We're here to do the job and do it well," he noted.

With all the improvements it has made, Mr Foo continued, the Force would be more capable of rising to challenges and keeping pace with the rapid changes brought about by new knowledge and new technology.

He expects the Force would have to meet rising public expectations, make do with tight resources, respond to more calls for accountability and be aware of "politicising" of local issues. "All these will pose a lot of challenges for the Force. Though we've to remain politically neutral, we've to be aware of the politics around us!" he noted.

Mr Foo sees teamwork and better internal communication and support by Force members as the keys to overcoming the challenges.

"There might be different views and ideas, but if there is good internal communication, we'll know what challenge we're facing, how we're going to deal with it, and why we're taking certain courses of action. Then we can tackle problems with teamwork. Teamwork is a strong attribute of the Force, and for years we've been working well with good team spirit!" he said.

Better Qualifications

As regards staff support, Mr Foo is, perhaps, more qualified for this subject, given his experiences in personnel and training matters.

The fact that the quality of serving officers is getting better and better, and recruits possess higher academic qualifications bodes well for the Force's efforts to meet future challenges, Mr Foo said.

"I'm pleased to see we have very good potential officers with higher academic qualifications joining the Force. We hope to entrust them with more responsibilities because they're capable of taking on more. What I see is our young officers will be given more responsibilities in certain specific areas, apart from basic jobs like 'watch-and-watch and patrol duties'," he added.

For its own part, Mr Foo continued, the Force would continue helping officers with their career developments by providing job-rotation, in-house and overseas training, and incentives for continuous studies. "We've been sending over 30 young inspectors and JPOs to the UK, Australia and Singapore for training every year, not to mention the many sent to the Mainland. This is a big step forward in staff training," he said.

Grow up with Marine Region

Mr Foo is too modest to highlight the laurels of his career. He would only say: "What is most unforgettable and satisfying for me in my whole career is having seen the many changes for the better within the Force over the years, and having been part of the changes and evolution."

However having worked in Marine Region for 20 years "from inspector to assistant commissioner", Mr Foo certainly would not give the Region a miss. "I'm proud of having grown up with the Region and seen it, just like the whole Force, developing from strength to strength over the years, and has become a versatile Marine Police Force," he noted.

Mr Foo will be visiting his mother and relatives living overseas before seriously considering what to do after retirement. But one thing is certain - he will continue with his work for volunteer organisations.

He has been serving on the Executive Committee of the Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers since 2002.

Back in 1989, he joined the Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps as the Commanding Officer. He relinquished the post to become a member of the Sea Cadet Corps Council in 1994. In 1998 he was elected the Alternate Deputy Chairman of the Council and then Chairman in 2001.

Joining the Force as an inspector in 1967, Mr Foo rose to the rank of Senior Assistant Commissioner in 2001.

During his career, he has served in a variety of posts, including Uniform Branch operations, crime investigation, training and Marine Police. His more recent postings included District Commander of Sau Mau Ping, Commandant of Police Training School, Assistant Commissioner (Operations), and Regional Commander of Marine Region. His service also includes a two-year secondment to the Directing Staff of the Police Staff College at Bramshill, United Kingdom between 1986 and 1988.

He attended overseas training courses on two occasions at the Police Staff College at Bramshill in 1979 and 1985. In addition, he also attended the Hong Kong Civil Servants Qinghua University Programme in 1995 and the Advanced China Studies Course at the Beijing National College of Administration in 2002.

Mr Foo's decorations include the Queen's Police Medal, Colonial Police Medal for Meritorious Service, Colonial Police Long Service Medal, HKSAR Police Long Service Medal, and Bronze Bauhinia Star for his distinguished service.

Inspecting a Passing-out Parade at PTS before proceeding on pre-retirement leave

Receiving the Baton of Honour at the PTS Passing-out Parade in 1968

A young inspector in Marine Region