The Force is a professional and efficient team and Police College provides officers with diverse training. The ultimate goal of the training for Divisional Patrol Sub-unit, Crime Unit and other designated units is to safeguard life and property.   Officers should, even in training, remain committed to their duties and vigilant at all times.

 

Among the great variety of police training is handling major natural disasters.  Natural disasters are unpredictable and require deployment of a large number of police officers. Officers handling such incidents always demonstrate professionalism and team spirit. The following is the story about the work of TFSU T KE after the devastation of a typhoon, underscoring the effectiveness of training, officers' professionalism and the importance of departmental co-operation.

 

 

At 12.45 am on July 24, 2012, Typhoon Signal No.10 was hoisted when Severe Typhoon Vicente bore down on Hong Kong with an average wind speed of 140 km/h, bringing rainstorms and gusty winds to most areas. Public transport and public services were brought to a halt. Some people were injured by flying objects, fallen trees or loosened signboards and were admitted to hospitals.

 

Kowloon East Region received over 20 reports of fallen trees and some thoroughfares, including Lung Cheung Road, Lee On Road and Tai Hom Road, were closed due to the hazards the fallen trees posed to road users.

 

 

Although damage and loss caused by a natural disaster are unpredictable, police officers should make contingency plans to deal with different situations. The Force provides officers with training to enhance their knowledge and skills so that they would discharge their duties effectively.

 

Before the approach of Severe Typhoon Vicente and during hoisting of the No. 10 Signal, the first one in 13 years, officers from the whole Traffic Kowloon East were on standby. We knew it was extremely dangerous to work outdoors in gusty winds, but to protect the public and prevent accidents, we had to get well prepared and checked our equipment, such as helmets, goggles, and chainsaws.

 

 

Despite strong winds, heavy rains and rubble-filled roads, we took out our equipment and worked hard to remove all fallen trees for traffic before the Typhoon Signal was lowered to No. 3. Our major clearance work took place on Lee On Road and Tai Hom Road.

 

Fallen trees affected a large area of Tai Hom Road. If clearance work did not finish in time, the traffic on eastbound Lung Cheung Road would be seriously affected. To minimise the impact on traffic, we cleared all fallen trees as soon as possible despite soaking in rain and sweat.

 

 

I found the chainsaw that I was using for a long time suddenly not working properly due to the gum stuck to it.  Fortunately, with the assistance of the personnel from Fire Services Department and road maintenance contractors, the roads were finally re-opened, providing a safe passage for road users.

 

Working continuously for almost four hours, we concentrated our efforts on the clearance job and everyone showed a lot of teamwork, dedication and commitment.

 

 

We were proud of having honoured our performance pledges and discharged our duties in a professional way.

 

(This article is contributed by SSGT Hui Ngai-sang of TFSU E&C KE.)