Having seen the demonstrations given on the Mainland by the Mobile Training Exchange Team of the Force's Weapon Training Division, senior Mainland Public Security Bureau officials now regard the Force's tactical training modes most suitable for their needs. This is one of the observations of two members of the team, Sergeants Chan Wai-chi and Chan Wai-ming, following their three exchange missions on the Mainland in the past two years.

SGT Chan Wai-chi pointed out that the Deputy Divisional Chief, Police Training Division, Personnel and Training Bureau, Ministry of Public Security, Mr Xie Lin, speaking at the graduation ceremony of one of the training exchanges, openly hailed the Force's training modes as most applicable for adoption on the Mainland.

"Mainland public security officials have visited many overseas law enforcement agencies to see tactical training, but they still prefer our training modes. I guess this is because in adopting the western methods we have made some modifications to suit our needs. In other words, our methods are a combination of the best of the east and west!" said SGT Chan Wai-chi. "We have blended the Chinese concepts with western techniques, so our methods have their own uniqueness and characteristics!" he added, with a sense of pride.

SGT Chan Wai-chi further pointed out that the great majority of Mainland public security instructors were very enthusiastic about the training exchanges because they wanted to have verifications of their knowledge of tactical training. They wished to have some data on applications of training methods, effectiveness, and the down side if any.

On the difference between the instruction formats of Hong Kong and the Mainland, he said the Mainland used the "big class" format with an instructor teaching some 70 or 80 trainees, while the Force adopted the "small class" concept, with the ratio of one instructor to a maximum of 30 trainees. "I think both formats have their own advantages," he noted.

SGT Chan Wai-chi said Mainland public security officials were also eager to know how the Force adopted overseas techniques and experiences, made modifications with regard to the local context, and then produced an institutionalised method. They had access to western tactical training through overseas visits or on the Internet, but had little chance of seeing applications of training methods outside the Mainland.

"Having seen our demonstrations, they feel they have obtained a lot of information that are not available from books and other sources," he added.

Mainland catching up

SGT Chan Wai-ming pointed out that the Mainland was catching up in terms of using modern tactical training equipment. Quoting an example, he said Hangzhou is one of the few cities using colour mark ammunition for tactical training. "Hangzhou has produced their own colour mark ammunition, and have been using it for years, but they still want to share our experiences so that its functions can be maximised in training," he said.

So far, the five-member Mobile Training Exchange Team has had three training exchanges on the Mainland to share their expertise and experience of tactical training with public security instructors, the first one being in Urumqi, Xinjiang Province in August 2004, second in Lanzhou, Gansu Province in August 2005, and third in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in October 2005.

In the latest exchange, the team, comprising Superintendent (Weapon Training) Albert Lee Yeung-chi, Chief Inspector (Weapon Training) Henry Sham Wai-hong and SGTs Chan Wai-ming, Chan Wai-chi and Lee Siu-wah, had a very useful exchange with 80 instructors at the Zhejiang College of Public Security. The exchange was jointly conducted with four PSB instructors from Zhejiang Province who had attended the Use of Force Instructors Course in Hong Kong. The exchange format included presentations and discussions on theories in classroom, demonstrations by instructors and practice sessions conducted by instructors from Hong Kong and the Mainland.

High regard for Force tactical training

Some 140 other senior PSB officers across the Province also attended the exchange as observers - an impressive sign for CIP Sham. He is greatly encouraged by the size of attendance, and views it as an indication of the increasing popularity of training exchanges on the Mainland.

"I can see more and more PSB officers are being sent to join the exchanges. We've over 70 in Xinjiang, around 100 in Lanzhou and over 200 in Hangzhou. This indicates that senior PSB officers are becoming more interested in our training concepts and methodologies.

"What has encouraged me most is supervisory grade officers' increasing interest in the training exchanges. They concur with our practical training methodologies, and this will bode well for the modernisation of the training methods on the Mainland," CIP Sham noted.

Perhaps, the team's careful planning for each of its exchange missions speaks volumes for its increasing popularity. Before each exchange, the team went to great lengths in making preparations, designing its training presentations and selecting the most appropriate subjects for their missions, all with the aim of introducing ideas to meet the local training needs.

"We review our presentations after each exchange and explore what improvement can be made for the next exchange," CIP Sham revealed.

As on the previous exchanges, Deputy Commissioner (Management) Fung Siu-yuen went to Hangzhou to present certificates of attendance to the Mainland instructors upon their completion of the five-day training exchange. Assistant Commissioner (Training) Robin Tse Shu-chun also joined the visit.

Congratulating the instructors at the presentation ceremony, Mr Fung said: "We're honoured to have the opportunity to exchange our ideas in tactical skills and make a small contribution to the process of enhancing the personnel training in the various PSB units on the Mainland. Through this training exchange and co-operation, the instructors of both places have exchanged the methods, theories, skills and experiences of tactical training. Both parties have benefited in terms of enhancing expertise and combat capability." He also encouraged the instructors to pass on their experiences and knowledge to their colleagues who could then carry out their law enforcement duties in a most safe and effective manner.

Also speaking at the presentation ceremony, Deputy Head of the Zhejiang Public Security Bureau, Mr Chen Chongtian, said the training exchange had covered the three essential elements of tactics for daily execution of duties, namely "distance" "cover" and "use of force readiness".

"Though the training exchange has lasted for only five days, it is rich in content and uniqueness. Through the Hong Kong Police's presentations and demonstrations, as well as mutual studies, we've not only learned Hong Kong Police's modern tactical concepts and flexible use of covers for making arrests and tactical skills for self-protection, but also boosted our expertise and combat capability.

"We're also very impressed with Hong Kong police officers' high spirit, well-defined training, serious learning attitude and their dedication to their profession!" Mr Chen noted.

Mainland instructors in Hangzhou being given a general briefing before their training exchange starts