In another case, a man bought a second-hand mobile phone and later discovered it was stolen property. Being afraid of having committed a crime, he resold the phone to his girl friend.

These scenarios formed two multiple-choice questions in the Promotion to Sergeant Qualifying Examination 2004. Candidates sitting for the examination were asked who had committed an offence in the first scenario, and what offence had been committed in the second case.

Only around eight per cent of the candidates have picked the correct answers for each question, according to Superintendent Poon Tsang-kee, Force Training Officer of the Exams and Assessment Division. "Many candidates thought the car owner was innocent. If they had analysed the case more carefully and had a more sober mind, they would have no problem in picking the correct answer," he noted.

Thirteen candidates have obtained distinctions in the examination, and OffBeat has asked two of them - PC Fung Chun-yuen and WPC Sum Yun-ngor - how they had approached the two questions and what they have got up their sleeves for sitting for this examination.

PC Fung, from Police Tactical Unit, Kowloon East, said that in the first case, all the three persons had committed an offence because he had spotted a similar case in the Police Manual. "For this question, I was certain about the correct answer because I had also come across exactly the same scenario during a previous posting," said WPC Sum, from Crime Kowloon West.

As regards the second scenario, PC Fung pointed out that in the first instance, it appeared that the man had committed the offence of "handling stolen property", but after recalling the definitions of "deception" and "handling stolen property", he concluded that the man was guilty of "obtaining property by deception".

"The law says a person does not commit an offence of 'handling stolen property' if he or she had no idea at all that it was stolen property when the purchase was made. But if the person sells the property to another person after learning that it is stolen property, the seller has committed 'deception'," he explained.

Echoing PC Fung's analysis, WPC Sum pointed out that many candidates jumped to the conclusion that the man was guilty of "handling stolen property" without offering any good reason.

Both officers advised candidates sitting for next year's examination to approach legal definitions with a sober mind and analyse a case carefully.

Said WPC Sum:"One important point is that candidates should not make a guess when they're not sure about the answer. Instead they should leave it out because marks would be deducted for a wrong answer, but not for skipping an answer."

"This approach to examination could be compared to the concept that in their daily work, police officers should not hazard any speculation and take reckless actions if they are not certain about the truth of, and the way to handle, a case," said PC Fung.

"I strongly recommend forming a study group for discussions and sharing of views. This is the best way to refresh and reinforce memory," WPC Sum advised.

"Taking notes is also very important. New technology has also helped me a lot. I have downloaded the notes to my PDA for use whenever and wherever I'm free," said PC Fung.

For both officers, their distinctions have not come easily - both starting their preparation work one year before examination.

For WPC Sum, who scored "pass" in the Promotion to Sergeant Qualifying Examination on three occassions, her distinction is a breakthrough for her repeated attempts over the years to obtain better results in the examination.

And for PC Fung, his distinguished exam result is the reward for a systematic approach to examination. He said he had downloaded the examination syllabus and all relevant information from POINT, and then grouped them chapter-by-chapter. As the syllabus is so wide, he narrowed down the scope by focusing on Sergeant's duties and responsibilities.

"I specifically referred to the Police Manual and other Orders and highlighted the important points for revision. As for legal definitions, sheer memorising is inevitable!" he added.

SP Poon said he was satisfied with the overall results of this year's examination, adding that there are no alternatives to careful analysis of cases and thorough study of notes.

"It's very dangerous for officers handling cases to just look at a case's superficial evidence and jump to a conclusion too fast, like some candidates have done in this exam!" he concluded.

PC Fung and WPC Sum have offered some exam tips for fellow officers