Balances in Law Enforcement Series V
- Women in Policing
Women police officers march on in status
"Many units now have women officers, such as EU, PTU and even the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau," SIP Chu, from E & C T KW, pointed out.
Perhaps, SIP Chu is a good example of the many opportunities given by the Force for women officers to prove their potential: she is the first woman inspector posted to EU KE.
Back in 1999, she applied to join EU KE and was subsequently selected from six applicants - four male and two female officers. "I applied because I believe life is an expericence of challenges," she noted.
Love of frontline work was another reason for SIP Chu's application - she has worked in other frontline posts such as SDS and PTU. After staying in EU KE for two years, she worked in PTU HQ as a training instructor and joined another frontline post three months ago - E & C T KW.
Explaining this option, she said: "More people have been killed on the roads than homicides. Therefore, it's a meaningful job to help reduce road accidents, and to educate road users to stay safe at all times."
She has recently obtained her motorcycle licence, and enjoys patrolling on the bike. Talking about working with male officers, both SIP Chu and PC Chan do not see sex as an issue within the Force, pointing out that male and female officers have their own specific roles to play.
"Indeed there are some jobs where female officers can play a particular role, but there are other jobs which are more suitable for male officers. So both are playing different roles and are complementing each other. It's team work that matters," said SIP Chu.
Concurring with SIP Chu, PC Chan commented: "For a job, the ability to get it done counts rather than gender."
Though now working in the Recruitment Section, PC Chan also enjoys frontline work, having worked in sub-units in North Point Division, SDS in Wan Chai District and RMPU HKI.
Besides love of frontline work, commitments to helping the helpless might explain why both SIP Chu and PC Chan have joined the Police Negotiation Cadre (PNC) - a secondary duty requiring them to stand by 24 hours a day for one whole week once in a while. On many occasions in the past, they raced to the scene of a crisis in the small hours as soon as their pagers sounded.
As recently as earlier last month, both officers worked for nearly eight hours until midnight alongside other PNC members in Wan Chai when a group of elderly persons staged a protest on a flyover to focus attention to their demand for right of abode in Hong Kong for their children living on the Mainland.
Besides PNC, SIP Chu is also a founder member of the Carelink Cadre, helping promote a culture of peer support and caring among Force members.
Time management with focus and priority
To certain extent, frontline work and secondary duties do take a toll on the family and social lives of SIP Chu and PC Chan. However with time management and planning, they have managed to minimise the impact and strike a balance between work and family life. Moreover, having spouses who really understand the nature and duties of their jobs also helps.
SIP Chu said her spouse fully supports and takes an interest in her frontline work, as well as those related to the PNC and Carelink Cadre. "We keep a dialogue because communication is very important for a couple. We talk about my jobs but I never tell him my work procedures, only the reasons or intentions behind such procedures so that he would appreciate more the values of my work," she added.
Though her spouse is also a police officer, PC Chan said that, with good planning and arrangements, she managed to give quality time and devote attention to her two-year-old daughter and set aside one day per week to enjoy family life with her husband.
At home, both officers emphasised that it was very important for them to retain their feminine touch, and in enforcing the law remain firm and steadfast. They both follow their rule of "no police officer in the family".
Both SIP Chu and PC Chan reminded their colleagues of the importance of attaining "spiritual wellness", which, they said, is built on stable emotion, enthusiasm in work, a healthy lifestyle and inter-personal relations.
"To attain spiritual wellness, officers have to know where and when to apply a break in their efforts to get jobs done," said SIP Chu.
"Don't use 'busy' as an excuse to skip communication at work and in family. Without communication you can never get anything done!" PC Chan added.
Comments by Psychological Services Group (PSG)
Senior Inspector Ruby Chu Man-wah and Police Constable Sindy Chan Sau-yuk are good examples of women police officers in modern times. They demonstrated their competence at the frontline while maintaining full and harmonious personal or family lives.
The wisdom behind their success are three folds. Firstly, they hold a positive and modest attitude towards their roles of women police officers. On one hand they will not use their gender as an excuse to escape from difficult tasks but instead make active attempts in new duties; on the other hand they understand their own limits and will not push themselves to be unnecessarily masculine and aggressive. This attitude enables them to co-operate smoothly with their male counterparts and win their respect. Secondly, they know the importance of adjusting their roles from being tough at work to being gentle and caring at home, helping build a warm and loving home. I particularly appreciate their rule of "no police officer at home". I believe no husband or children would like to see a "law enforcement wife or mother" at home. Thirdly, they bring their strength of communication to the forefront. They insist keeping a dialogue with their family members and colleagues no matter how busy they are. This is the key to their harmonious family and interpersonal relationship.
Seek advice and help from the Psychological Services Group: 2866-6206 (5th floor, 111 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay). PEN: psg@police.gov.hk
(All cases will be kept in strict confidence.)
Women Police officers have risen in status and are working in units that were previously male domains, said Senior Inspector Ruby Chu Man-wah and Police Constable Sindy Chan Sau-yuk during an interview with Psychological Services Group and Staff Relations Group.
SIP Chu (left) and PC Chan are good examples of women police officers in modern times