Station Sergeant Chui Sum is so dedicated to his job that he has gained the admiration of his younger brother, son and daughter, and inspired them to follow in his footsteps in choosing their careers. Because of his positive influence, SSGT Chui regards himself as the "pioneer" of a police family, which also includes his daughter-in-law and two sons-in-law Police Constables.

Station Sergeant Chui Sum is so dedicated to his job that he has gained the admiration of his younger brother, son and daughter, and inspired them to follow in his footsteps in choosing their careers. Because of his positive influence, SSGT Chui regards himself as the "pioneer" of a police family, which also includes his daughter-in-law and two sons-in-law Police Constables.

Right now, SSGT Chui and his constable son, Kin-fan, are both working in Kwai Chung Division. His sergeant daughter, Mei-mei, is a Recruit Police Constable Instructor at the Police College, while his younger brother, Kwong-chiu, is Assistant Divisional Commander (Administration) of Sai Kung Division.

SSGT Chui's son and daughter learned so much about, and were so fascinated by, police work that they began showing a great interest of joining the Force while studying in secondary school. Mei-mei submitted her application shortly after sitting for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination. Later Kin-fan followed suit instead of seeking admission to university.

"My father said he could afford my tertiary education but I opted for police work because I learned from him that police work has a lot to offer. Now I realise I've made a right choice," said Kin-fan.

Family life

Hard work has earned for SSGT Chui fast promotions: rising to Sergeant within six years and to Station Sergeant within another six years. Despite his heavy and busy workload, he always tries to spare as much time as possible with his family because family life means a lot to him.

At least once a month, SSGT Chui rounds up his family members and sons-in-law for a gathering, and even goes to the extent of using his cookery to prepare supper for them. During the gathering, police work invariably forms an important topic for discussion, and every participant enjoys sharing each other's work experience and wisdom. Sometimes the gathering sees heated debates, which, however, benefit everybody at the end.

As a result of their close relationship with their father, both Mei-mei and Kin-fan look upon him as a role model and a very dedicated police officer. Both are also very impressed with their father's enthusiasm for his job.

Early exposures to police work

Raising his three daughters and a son also means a lot for SSGT Chui. To cultivate a sense of discipline among them, he often brought them to various police functions after work. Fond of football, he also brought Kin-fan along to matches of his police football team.

Kin-fan pointed out that SSGT Chui formed a football team with his colleagues wherever he worked. "This activity went a long way in fostering camaraderie among his fellow officers. I enjoyed meeting and playing with his colleagues and their children on the football pitch. So I was exposed to police work at a young age," Kin-fan recalled.

After his children had joined the Force, SSGT Chui constantly reminded them to brush up their abilities with lifelong learning. To set an example, he has taken various training courses, including one in Putonghua. As a result of his father's constant reminder, Kin-fan is studying a degree course on business administration at the Hong Kong Open University.

And SSGT Chui is pleased to see Mei-mei and Kin-fan heeding his advice and trying their best to get the job done and emulate him. "I'm confident sooner or later they will make it to a higher rank," SSGT Chui noted.

Upcoming retirement

Proceeding on pre-retirement leave in about seven months after a "very rewarding" career with the Force, SSGT Chui hopes to devote more time after retirement to his wife, who, he admitted, had taken the "very heavy burden" of looking after their children.

"In the early stage of my career, my workload didn't allow me to pay as much attention to my children as I wished, especially after my promotion to Station Sergeant. So I left everything of child upbringing to my wife. She was very understanding and did a great job, allowing me to pay full attention to my job. I will repay her after retirement," said SSGT Chui in wrapping up an interview with the Psychological Services Group (PSG) and the Staff Relations Group for the series on police families, together with Mei-mei and Kin-fan.

Comments by PSG

Talking to SSGT Chui and his children was a pleasant experience. Coming from a wonderful family, they share family stories in laughter and are proud of one another. SSGT Chui proves successful police officers can also enjoy a harmonious family relationship. His keys to success are listed below.

* Some colleagues considered they should not "bring their job home" and never talk about work at home. SSGT Chui did the opposite. He shared his work experience with his brother and children, let them meet his colleagues and participate in the activities organised by the Force. This exposure to his police work enabled his family members to appreciate his work and his stress better. His discipline, leadership and enthusiasm for work also positively influenced his children.

* SSGT Chui taught his children by setting a role model. Although he did not have much time for his family in the past, he displayed positive attitudes, such as family-oriented values and enthusiasm for work, when his children interacted with him at home or watched him engaging with his colleagues in Force activities. His children admired these qualities and subconsciously adopted these positive values themselves.

* Living with police officers is not romantic. Their spouses are inevitably affected by their loved ones' special occupation. SSGT Chui realised the impact of his police work on his wife and strived to maintain good communication with his wife throughout the years when his wife took care of the family while he focused on his work. These commitment and communication enabled them to trust, understand and stay close with each other.

* SSGT Chui appreciated changes are inevitable in life and therefore maintained openness and sensitivity to changes in the demands from society, the Force and his family. He was also flexible in adjusting himself to changes, enhancing his resilience to meet different challenges in life.

Members of a big happy police family, SSGT Chui, his son Kin-fan and daughter Mei-mei