PUBLIC ORDER
Police Dogs
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Police dogs are trained at the Police Dog Unit at Yuen Long in the New Territories and are used for such work as patrolling, tracking and detecting dangerous drugs. Comprehensive training programmes were regularly attended by the handlers and their dogs to ensure that high standards of operational performance were maintained. The unit has 90 police dogs, most of them German Shepherds.
Personnel
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At the end of the year, the force establishment totalled 26 626 disciplined posts increase of 669 over the corresponding figure in 1986. In addition, the force had an establishment of 5 796 civilians, representing 17.88 per cent of the overall establishment.
During 1987, 7 197 people applied to join the Police Force as constables and 924 were appointed, of whom 16.6 per cent were women. A total of 215 persons were appointed as police inspectors during the year, of whom 88 were direct-entry local appointees, 47 were direct-entry overseas appointees and 67 were junior police officers appointed through the 'potential officer' selection scheme.
Promotion prospects remained excellent at all levels. During the year, 12 gazetted officers were promoted to senior superintendent and above, 32 to superintendent, 80 to chief inspector, 141 to station sergeant and 332 to sergeant. In addition, 13 exceptionally experienced station sergeants were promoted to the rank of inspector.
Welfare
The Police Welfare Branch provides a wide range of welfare, psychological, sporting, recreational and catering services for both disciplined and civilian members of the force and their families.
During the year, 5 541 interviews were conducted in the regional welfare offices and 5 293 visits were made by Welfare Branch staff to officers and their families at home or in hospital. Some 4 174 children of both regular and auxiliary police officers were granted bursaries from the Police Children's Education Trust and the Police Education and Welfare Trust.
The Police Sports and Recreation Club in Boundary Street provides a wide range of facilities for all ranks, while the Police Officers' Club in Causeway Bay provides facilities for officers of inspectorate rank, and above, and their civilian counterparts. Thirty holiday homes and recreation centres, situated at scenic spots, were also available to members of the force.
Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force
The Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force comprises volunteers from all walks of life. Its current strength is 5 009, about 10 per cent of whom are women officers. The force assists the regular police force in day-to-day constabulary duties and provides additional manpower if needed. In 1987, the average daily turnout of auxiliaries for constabulary duties was 700.
Police Complaints Committee
The Police Complaints Committee is an independent monitoring group appointed person- ally by the Governor. Its main function is to monitor the processing by the Complaints Against Police Office (CAPO), Royal Hong Kong Police Force of complaints made against the police by the public.