E Police
Police Officers have had their conditioned hours raised from 48 to 51 hours per week and many officers work an archaic shift system which resuits in less than seven hours sleep on shift changeovers. Furthermore Police Officers are accountable for instanc decisions affecting the rights and liberties of Hong Kong Citizeng made 111 .111 increasingly life threatening GAVLLOmlet.. POL Constable's starting salary is less than $7,000 per monch and after 13 years he is earning just over $10,000 per month. In addition, and despite directives from the the Executive Council, not all officers are supplied with quarters and it will take many years to achieve this goal.
The Future
Should the present situation be allowed to continue the policing of the Sino-Hong Kong Border by the Royal Hong Kong Police force can only be carried out by redeploying officers from their normal constabulary duties. Your petitioners fear that the level of service which will then be offered to the community will drop to
an unacceptable level. Should it be decided to retain the Milicary on the Sino-Hong
Kong Border it has been estimated that there will be an addicional cost to the Hong Kong taxpayer of some $3,300 million.
Without substantial salary increases in the very near future and improvements in conditions of service, your petitioners envisage that recruitment of suitable candidates will cease and many serving officers will be forced to leave the
Police Service.
As a means to achieve the goal of better pay and conditions of service
the Police Staff Associations have attempted to institute change in the
Police/Administracion consultative machinery. The Police Force Council, in its
present form, is unable to fulfil its functions as for many years it has failed to
obtain the co-operacion of the Administration. This has Led co a level of
frustration never previously experienced in this Force.
Finally it is the view of the your petitioners that your advisors, the Standing Committee on Disciplined Services' Pay and Conditions of Service, have
failed in their duty in that they have refused to carry out sufficient research and
have procrastinated in providing Your Excellency with advice and recommendations.