In furtherance of the Force Vision and Statement of Common Purpose and Values, the Living-the-Values (LTV) Workshops have been inculcating the Force values among all officers with the ultimate aim of providing quality service to the community. To ensure the quality of their content and delivery, the LTV Workshops have established a Quality Management System (QMS), which has identified all the important elements and processes for planning and continued improvement.

In March 2005, the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency (HKQAA) certified, for the first time, that the LTV Wave V Workshop - entitled "Building a Caring Workforce" - complied with the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 quality management system standard. The HKQAA made a renewal audit inspection after the launch of the Wave VI Workshop entitled "Fairness in all Our Dealings" in September 2007, resulting in the revalidation of the ISO 9001:2000 certification in terms of the design, development and preparation of the LTV Workshops.

Service Quality Wing Superintendent (Service Standards) Mak Kwai-sing, core coordinator of the preparatory working group for the LTV Wave VI Workshop, told OffBeat: "The HKQAA Audit Report has given encouraging remarks, stating, inter alia, that the Workshop has made comprehensive consideration of the needs of the internal and external customers, that the Workshop designers are armed with practical experience, and that effective communication leads by participation of top management and improvements to course design, materials and presentation skills are noted."

Speaking of development of the LTV Workshops, Mr Mak pointed out that after the senior Force management had endorsed "Fairness" as the main theme of the Wave VI Workshop, the preparatory working group, comprising officers from the Service Quality Wing, Police College and Psychological Services Group, held focus group meetings and discussions involving officers at different ranks and across the Formations, in a bid to gauge the needs of as many officers as possible as well as to make the various case scenarios realistic and practical.

"We have set criteria and communicated with all the contractors and partners to ensure that the objectives of the design, development and planning are met. A monitoring mechanism has been established to rectify any deviation from the ISO 9001:2000 requirements. Trial workshops and preventive actions have been taken before full implementation. Evaluation and approved follow up actions have been documented and recorded for easy identification and traceability. Ongoing improvement processes are in place to ensure that the design and development of the overall workshop follow the ISO 9001:2000 standards. Feedback from facilitators and participants will be collected to assess the suitability and effectiveness of the workshop as well as to improve future ones," he said.

Adopting a "top-down" approach, the LTV Wave VI Workshop began in September 2007 and will conclude by early July 2008. Over 450 officers of the superintendent cadre, including civilians and auxiliaries, have already attended the Workshop, with more than 85 per cent agreeing that the objectives of the Workshop have been achieved, 93 per cent considering the video-filmed case scenarios realistic whilst 85 per cent finding the psychological tips useful.

Workshops for the Inspectorate and civilian equivalent officers are underway until the end of February while those for Junior Police Officers will take place from March to July 2008.

In conclusion, Mr Mak commented: "We are confident that the principles of 'Equity', 'Justice' and 'Openness' will be further enhanced among all Force members."

Service Quality Wing Superintendent Mak Kwai-sing proudly displays the ISO Certificate for LTV Wave VI Workshop