A total of 58 police constables from Emergency Unit New Territories North (EU NTN) sat for the 2007 Promotion to Sergeant Qualifying Examination last October and pulled off an impressive pass rate of 93.1 per cent. Among the officers, five obtained Distinction; eight, Great Credit; 13, Credit and 28, Pass. Only four failed in the examination.

Pleasantly surprised with these impressive results, Superintendent Poon Tsang-kee, from the Examinations & Assessment Division of the Police College, recommended OffBeat find out the officers' recipe for their success in the qualifying examination.

"I'm very glad that the officers have obtained such outstanding results in one go. Surely, this is the outcome of their hard work and determination," Mr Poon noted.

OffBeat has found out that besides their own efforts and determination, the officers also owe their examination success to the guidance, support and encouragement of the management of EU NTN. Having officers' academic achievements at heart, EU NTN has spared no efforts in helping officers taking the qualifying examination. The major assistance is forming a Lunch-break Knowledge-sharing Group and conducting mock interviews for officers attending the Promotion Board.

EU NTN's efforts to boost officers' efficiency and professional knowledge by regularly conducting outdoor mock exercises on various scenarios have also boosted officers' chance of obtaining better results in the qualifying examination. What officers have learned from the mock exercises have been a big help to them in dealing with examination questions.

Superintendent To Wai-ching, in charge of EU NTN, takes pride of the fact that EU NTN has a tradition of encouraging officers to strive for more academic and vocational success. He is a staunch supporter of the Lunch-break Knowledge-sharing Group, assisted by Chief Inspector Chung Pui-sing and Senior Inspectors Yiu Hon-sang and Leung Kwong-kin as instructors for the knowledge-sharing group.

However, Mr To and his three "instructors" all refused to take credit for the officers' results in the qualifying examination. They all put it down to the officers' own efforts, drive and determination.

"The officers' team work and team spirit as well as their perseverance and confidence are important factors for their success in the qualifying examination. What has impressed me most are their readiness to share with each other everything about the examination, such as exam syllabuses and questions, sources to find answers to and skills of handling the questions," said Mr To.

Support and Concern

On the other hand, the officers greatly appreciate the support and concern from the management of EU NTN in helping officers to prepare for the qualifying examination.

PC Lui Wai-wing, who has obtained a Distinction in the qualifying examination, told OffBeat that the Lunch-break Knowledge Group provided a very good platform for officers to exchange examination materials, experiences and observations of past examinations, and to resolve examination problems. He was quick to add that the volunteer instructors had definitely offered valuable guidance and assistance.

In particular, PC Lui pointed out that the mock exercises not only enhanced officers' expertise, but also helped officers taking the qualifying examination. "The debriefing report for each mock exercise is circulated among all EU NTN officers. The contents of the report are helpful for getting better results in the qualifying examination," he explained.

Another Distinction winner, PC Tsang Man-ho, stressed that preparation was very important for attempts at the qualifying examination.

He offered this advice to his colleagues taking the qualifying examination: "Familiarise yourself with the syllabus. As there are so many things to memorise, it's very important to make a note of all the important information and materials. It's also important to study the debriefing reports of the previous examinations, issued by the Examinations & Assessment Division. Lastly, don't forget the POINT contains useful information about the examination."

PC Chan Shing-kin, who is on a six-month attachment to EU NTN from the Special Duties Unit, said that the attitudes towards studies of members of Lunch-break Knowledge-sharing Group had inspired him to put in more efforts for his attempt at the qualifying examination. "I was very impressed with what I saw at the sessions of the Group: every member of the group was working so hard and was so determined to get the best result in the examination," he noted.

Due to duty commitments, only some of the 58 EU NTN officers are able to express gratitude to their management and the Police College for their success in the Promotion to Sergeant Qualifying Examination