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traffic bulletins and 150 press releases covering all aspects of police work. In-depth feature articles on police matters continued to be prepared for local and overseas use. Press conferences, background briefings, and individual interviews were also arranged for specific topics. The special tourist hotline, set up in 1981 to help tourists with language difficulties, continued to be popular. The hotline is manned round-the-clock by police officers, fluent in English, Chinese and Japanese, and who can enlist the help of other officers with special linguistic capabilities should the need arise.
Recruitment and Personnel
By the end of 1982, the establishment of the force had risen to 23 476, an increase of 962 over the corresponding figure in 1981. In addition, the force had an establishment of 4 964 civilians, representing 17.5 per cent of the overall establishment.
Despite the higher academic requirements for constables, the number of applications to join the force increased to 6 888. Of these, 2 069 including 60 women, were taken on during
the year.
The 185 officers appointed to the inspectorate came from three major sources: 49 local applicants appointed directly, 58 officers promoted from the junior ranks, and 78 recruited from overseas, principally from the United Kingdom.
Training
The Police Training School in Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen, which provides basic training for police inspectorate and junior officer recruits and traffic wardens, is being expanded to meet increasing needs. Recruit inspectors undergo a 28-week course and recruit constables a 20-week course which covers criminal law, police and court procedures, drill and musketry, and first aid. Overseas inspectors also attend an eight-week course in colloquial Cantonese, while recruit traffic wardens undergo a six-week course covering legislation and procedures related to traffic matters.
Apart from basic training, the school provides in-service training for serving junior police officers, newly promoted NCOs and specialist traffic personnel. These courses are designed to up-date officers on new legislation and to prepare them for a higher rank.
A Continuation Training Scheme operates from centres in each of the four police regions. It provides additional training for constables in their first two years' of service after passing out from the Police Training School and involves class attendance for two consecutive days each month. The scheme supplements the constables' practical knowledge, provides opportunities for them to raise problems encountered in their practical work, and also prepares them for promotion examinations which they may take after three years' service. During 1982 about 2 800 constables were receiving training under this scheme.
The Detective Training Wing of the Police Training School continued to hold 12-week standard CID training courses throughout 1982 at its premises at Kai Tak. An average of 25 inspectors, 20 NCOs and 80 to 100 detective constables attended each of the four courses. Four preliminary CID courses of four weeks' duration for Uniform Branch inspectorate officers were also held. Officers from other government departments, in particular the Customs and Excise Department and Immigration Department, also attended the standard course full-time while some other departments sent personnel to attend selected instruction.
The Marine Police Training School moved into new premises in December and an enhanced training programme has been designed to train personnel to handle the more sophisticated vessels being acquired for the fleet. Constables, sergeants and officers receive