His contributions to the Junior Police Officers' Association (JPOA) have not gone unrecognised: he was awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2000 and Medal of Honour in the 2006 Honours and Awards List.

Mr Lau's association with JPOA began as an ordinary member when JPOA came into being in 1977. He joined JPOA's Executive Committee in 1996 and served as Chairman from 1998 until his retirement.

When he took up the chairmanship, he was facing a big test and challenge: the Government was proposing to introduce civil service reforms, cut civil servants' pay and fringe benefits and recruit civil servants on contract instead of permanent terms.

He recalled: "During that period of time, I spent a lot of time studying various documents about civil service regulations and civil servants' entitlements. I also often discussed with our Executive Committee members on JPOA's stance on these issues, and asked their views on the issues' impact on the Force. It was only after we had reached a consensus that we began negotiating with the Government."

Unforgettable experience

What is most unforgettable for Mr Lau is Government's proposal to introduce a home purchase allowance to replace quarters. He pointed out that officers' strong reaction to the proposal was "unprecedented". As JPOA Chairman representing the interests of 20,000 JPOs, he faced a lot of stress and had to consider very carefully every decision he took.

He is glad that after lengthy consultation with JPOA, the Government eventually accepted JPOA's suggestion of retaining quarters for officers. The Government further introduced a scheme to replace old government quarters with Home Ownership Scheme flats. All the related removal arrangements were completed last June.

"Providing quarters for JPOs is a very important factor for retaining them in the Force; therefore JPOA has fought tooth and nail to retain this benefit," he noted.

After fulfilling officers' wishes for a comfortable home, the next issue that Mr Lau worked on was JPOs' promotion prospects. Following rounds of consultation with the Force management, JPOA finally succeeded in fighting for another channel for JPOs to advance to the inspectorate - the Direct Entry Avenue.

"To help officers prepare for the promotion exams, JPOA started working with the Chinese University of Hong Kong on training courses to beef up officers' abilities to handle the exams," he said.

Another unforgettable issue for Mr Lau is officers' working hours. He said JPOA succeeded in 2001 in having working hours reduced from 51 hours per week to 48 "after 10 years of strenuous effort".

Mr Lau sees JPOA's website as the most satisfying achievement during his tenure as chairman. JPOA created the website in 1999 to meet members' increasing demands for information. Following constant improvement over a period of four years, the website has now reached maturity, with members being able to apply for personal e-mail accounts and to obtain an update on JPOA news and developments. At the same time, the website also facilitates dissemination of information and collection of members' opinions for JPOA.

Unfulfilled wishes

As he steps down from JPOA, Mr Lau still has some wishes unfulfilled. He noted: "Back in 1988, JPOA had already fought for the establishment by the Government of an independent pay survey committee for the disciplined services, but regrettably this effort has not succeeded. I hope someday we'll succeed. Furthermore, my biggest wish is to see all inspector posts to be filled by promotion in the interests of JPOs' promotion prospects. I think this will boost staff morale in a big way."

After retirement, Mr Lau will continue to serve JPOA as an Honorary Adviser. At the same time, he will brush up his knowledge of English and computer skill and will join the Force voluntary service teams, in order to enjoy a full retirement life.

Mr Lau will continue to serve JPOA after retirement