Fourteen officers join PNC after tough training
Fourteen newly recruited members have successfully completed a two-week Crisis Negotiation Course conducted by the Police Negotiation Cadre (PNC) from June 13 to 24, and started their six-month probation under the guidance of their experienced mentors.
Assistant Commissioner (Operations) Wong Chi-hung attended the "PNC Graduation Ceremony cum Dinning-in Banquet" as guest of honour.
To compete for a place in the course, over 50 applicants attended a one-day selection exercise in February this year. They went through four assessments, namely a written test, an impromptu talk, a scenario-based exercise and a board interview, in which their aptitude, ability to handle critical situations under stress, and endurance were critically assessed.
Woman Inspector Dorothy Nieh commented: "Joining the PNC has for long been my dream. Whenever I read news about suicides, I would be extremely sad for the deceased and their family members. I hope I can make use of the knowledge and skills I have acquired from the course to influence and help those in need."
In addition to training the recruits, the PNC invited six representatives from other law enforcement agencies to attend the course, including Singapore Police Force, Ministry of Public Security Counter-Terrorism Bureau, Guangzhou Public Security Bureau Counter-Terrorism Brigade, Macao Judiciary Police and Correctional Services Department (CSD).
Meanwhile, Special Duties Unit, Airport Security Unit and Police Psychological Services Group also sent their officers to the course to share knowledge and experience. The course provided comprehensive training in handling critical incidents such as terrorist attacks and hostage-taking scenarios, domestic barricaded situations, suicide interventions and stress management.
Course well received
The course was well received by the guest trainees. CSD Principal Officer Chan Man-yat said the two-week training boosted his professional knowledge of listening and negotiating. Being a training officer of his department, Mr Chan said he would share his knowledge with his colleagues by incorporating what he had learned from the course into the CSD training syllabus.
Superintendent (SP) Gilbert Wong, the Officer Commanding of PNC, told OffBeat: "The PNC is an integral part of the Force's Counter-Terrorist response mechanism. A total of 81 PNC members have committed to providing round-the-clock professional support for our frontline units. With a view to further strengthening the Cadre, the PNC Research and Development Team was established last year to update members on the latest developments in crisis negotiation, and to review and analyse research and case studies in local and global contexts. Moreover, the project 'SMART', which is a counter-terrorist training programme, has also been implemented to enhance co-operation and coordination with other operational units, including Special Duties Unit, Marine, Airport Security Unit, Railway District, Police Tactical Unit and Emergency Unit."
SP Kenneth Cheung, PNC's Chief Training Officer, is the Director of the course. He said: "Taking into consideration the ever-changing society and drawing on international experience, the PNC Professional Training Team has modified the old syllabus and developed a new one. This intensive course was residential-based, with the trainees learning the theories of crisis negotiation on daytime, and putting theories into practice during the nighttime practical exercise. The residential element of the course provided extra training hours and opportunities for team building for the trainees."
One of the trainees, Woman Police Constable (WPC) Lam Sze-yam of Regional Missing Person Unit Hong Kong Island, said: "This is the most challenging training course I have ever attended in the Force. The training staff guided me through every tough moment. Their devotion is a testament to the professionalism of the PNC."
Another trainee, PC Lam Kin of Police Public Relation Bureau, added that the practical exercises, which were held after a day of lectures, were the most challenging part of the course. And he thanked all serving PNC members for assisting in running the practical exercises.
Display of
professionalism
SP Wong emphasised that the Training Officers were all experienced negotiators, some of whom had undergone negotiation training overseas. The training staff members displayed their professionalism and devotion throughout the selection process and the training course.
Other guests of honour at the graduation dinner included Senior Police Clinical Psychologist, Dr Edmond Lau; Director of the Macao Judiciary Police Training School, Mr Lo Yuk-chuen; Ms Frances Law and Dr Paul Wong from the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, Hong Kong University, and Mrs Ling Chau Ho-yee from the Hong Kong Christian Service.
In the presence of over 100 guests and PNC members, Mr Wong Chi-hung presented graduation certificates to the course members. The 14 new PNC members have been allocated to four different negotiation teams, and each of them will be on stand-by for calls-out for two weeks per month in their six-month probation.
To provide better support and guidance, each new recruit is assigned with an experienced member as mentor. Sergeant Ku Yuen of Commercial Crime Bureau welcomed this new arrangement as he would have the direct support of his mentor. He commented that this mentorship programme offered members an opportunity to consolidate experience, enhance team spirit and develop professionalism.
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 Trainees practise "back
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