CP: Detective work full of challenge
The graduation ceremony of the Standard Criminal Investigation Course (SCIC) was held at Police Headquarters on April 8, with Commissioner Tsang Wai-hung attending as officiating guest.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Tsang first congratulated 160 trainees, comprising 30 Inspectors, 23 Sergeants, 100 Police Constables and seven officers from other disciplinary forces, on completing nine weeks of professional training.
He went on to stress that achieving the Force's vision of maintaining Hong Kong as one of the safest and most stable societies in the world required the concerted efforts by officers, as well as their professionalism and integrity to face challenges and maintain the crime rate at a low level.
Keeping abreast of times
While the world kept on changing and public expectations were increasing, the Force invested heavily on training for officers in order to enhance service quality and their capabilities. In the face of crimes becoming more complicated and modus operandi changing rapidly, detective work had become more diverse and challenging. Therefore, the prime objective of the SClC is to beef up trainees' crime investigation skills and basic police knowledge and, at the same time, to provide a platform for trainees and tutors to share work experiences.
Mr Tsang told the graduates: "Your choice of being a detective shows you are enthusiastic about and devoted to Police work, and have committed yourself to serve the Force and the public. I hope you, in your detective work, would help achieve the Force's vision and overcome difficulties and new challenges with the Force."
Having worked in the crime stream in the past, Mr Tsang said he realised the hardship of working round the clock or overtime. "In my past 33 years of police career, I have had a very deep understanding of detective work - very tough and very time-consuming. For a District or Divisional Investigation Team, the workload is very heavy and new cases come in every day while old ones are being dealt with. Investigating officers have to follow up every case from beginning to end. As such, they are shouldering a heavy responsibility," he noted.
However, Mr Tsang pointed out that with the support of the public, the job satisfaction for officers was "beyond description". "Bringing criminals to justice gave me a sense of satisfaction and reward that can hardly be found in other jobs. And that was the motivation that had kept me in the crime stream for so long," he noted.
Force management cares
CP went on to say that the Force management was fully aware of the difficulties and stress frontline detectives came across in their day-to-day work. Recently, Crime Formations have faced problems in recruiting new blood. In view of this, the Force carried out a Crime Formation Review in 2008 and the results and recommendations were announced in January this year.
Mr Tsang said it was recommended that the whole Force should adopt the CIU model to boost the efficiency of frontline investigation teams. Moreover, the Force set up a Force Study Team on Recruitment and Retention of Crime Officers at District Level in June last year to review crime investigation work with a view to boosting detectives' morale and retaining talents in the crime stream.
The Chairman of the Study Team, Kowloon West Regional Commander Fan Sik-ming, who also spoke at the graduation ceremony, pointed out that the team would roll out 14 recommendations to address the problems of long working hours and work pressure for crime investigation teams, such as streaming investigation process and providing more support and manpower for frontline units. It is hoped those new measures would help attract more officers to join the crime stream and groom talents.
Three graduates of the SCIC - Woman Inspector Wu Miu-yee, Sergeant Leung Yun-kwan and Woman Police Constable Ng Lai-sze - said the training course had bolstered their professional abilities and would be a big help for their future investigation work. The course had also made them more confident in meeting the challenges in the crime stream. They also welcomed the recommendations made by the Force Study Team and expected the recommendations would further elevate the professional image and morale of crime officers.
