The Force has been recognised as a totally caring employer and a socially responsible organisation. At a presentation ceremony held at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre on February 8, Deputy Commissioner Fung Siu-yuen received the Total Caring Award - Organisation 2006/07 on behalf of the Force.

Mr Fung is pleased that the concerted and sustained efforts by Force management and staff in promoting and providing care for staff and the community has won recognition.

"The award also serves as a stimulating encouragement for members of the Force Volunteer Services Corps, the 47 Force Volunteer Groups as well as members of the Police Community Relations Offices across the territory's 22 Police Districts," Mr Fung noted.

He pledged that the Force would continue to collaborate with the social service sector and community organisations in serving the community with pride and care in order to build a harmonious and stable society.

Mr Fung went on to encourage Force members to pursue a healthy lifestyle and take up volunteer work to help people in need. "As a whole," he observed, " the caring approach and the helping hearts of Force members have actively helped position the Force as one of the main caring service organisations in the community. I am sure our colleagues will continue to promote and support social services."

In review, Mr Fung noted that the drive to promote quality service and the Living-the-Values Workshops have helped the Force move away from the traditional authoritative style of management to one focusing on providing quality service and care.

There has been a clear acceptance of cultural change and the incorporation of the Force's core values into work practices. The theme of "Building a Caring Workforce" in the Wave V Workshops emphasised mutual care and support among colleagues, helping our staff to go through difficult times, to relieve stress and, in turn, achieving improvement in our provision of services to the community. In inculcating Force values, officers have been guided systematically in the areas of self-care, care in times of adversity and care through mutual understanding. Officers at management level understand the different dimensions of care and are sensitive to the difficulties of their staff and take the lead in building a caring workforce.

Before learning to care for others, one must first be cared for. According to Mr Fung, the Force is working on the premise of "Serving the community externally, serving the staff internally". The Force cares very much about the welfare of the staff and their families.

"We provide suitable support for staff at every stage of their life. There are scholarships and bursary programmes for those who have children; there are welfare benefits and regular hospital visits for those who are sick and injured. For retirees, we provide them with advice and guidance on making appropriate arrangements prior to retirement, helping them quickly adapt to life in retirement, and for those unfortunate ones who passed away, we arrange bereavement counselling and support services for their families," Mr Fung added.

In support of the theme of showing concern and care to members of the community, Formations, in conjunction with social service organisations, have worked out plans to extend their caring service to the community.

"I am very proud of our colleagues who have offered so many caring services to their colleagues and people in need, in particular youths at risk. A number of outstanding initiatives, including the Project Wild Goose, Operation Breakthrough and Sound of Silence Project, have been initiated by police staff and volunteer groups together with the community organisations in districts. They've really lived up to our motto: Serve with Pride and Care," he said.

The Financial Secretary, Mr Henry Tang, officiated at the ceremony, where 2,000 guests gathered to celebrate the fruition of the partnership among the industrial, commercial and social service sectors and their commitment to providing caring services to their staff and the community.

Last October, nominated by the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association, Service Quality Wing and Personnel Wing joined hands in making arrangements for the Force to enter the Total Caring Award 2006/07 Nomination Campaign administered by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service. The Total Caring Award is designed to recognise model corporate citizens who demonstrate continual, sustainable and total commitment to caring for the well-being of their employees, their families and the community.

The Force has been judged to have demonstrated good corporate citizenship in meeting all the 21 elaborated items of the following six caring organisation criteria:

1. Volunteering:

Encourage and support employee volunteering

2. Family Friendly:

Provide a family-friendly and gender sensitive environment for employees

3. Employing the Vulnerable:

Be willing to employ the vulnerable groups

4. Partnering:

Develop partnership projects with the social service sector

5. Mentoring:

Share business expertise with social service organisations

6. Giving:

Donate or give in-kind to the social service organisations

On December 18, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service gave notice that the Force had been selected winner of the Total Caring Award - Organisation 2006/07. In addition, the Force was also awarded the Logo of Caring Organisation 2005-2007.

Being the recipient of the Total Caring Award 2006/07, the Force is entitled to display the designated logo from February 8 to December 31, 2007 at any promotional activities or on material, for example letterhead and envelope, and website,and general advertisement, including leaflet and poster, to show that the Force is a socially responsible organisation.

For downloading of the award logos, please browse the front page of POINT under "Total Caring Award".