PUBLIC ORDER
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The department now manages six centres for Vietnamese migrants who are held pending their screening procedure or repatriation arrangement. They include the detention centres at Chi Ma Wan, Hei Ling Chau, Nei Kwu Chau, Whitehead and High Island, and a reception centre at Green Island.
Voluntary agencies, co-ordinated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), continue to provide valuable services in detention centres, com- plementing those provided by the department.
Staff Training
The department's Staff Training Institute is responsible for the planning and implementation of training programmes for both new and serving officers. All recruit officers and assistant officers must undergo a Basic Training Course for a period of 23 weeks and 20 weeks respectively. The training syllabus includes the relevant laws of Hong Kong, foot-drill, self-defence, physical training, weaponry, anti-riot drill, first-aid, criminology, penology, basic psychology, social work and leadership training. Prior to completion of probation, officers and assistant officers are required to undergo further training in anti-riot techniques for eight weeks and seven weeks respectively.
Development training and job-orientated courses are provided throughout the year for serving officers to update their professional knowledge, to prepare for promotion and to equip selected officers for duties in specialised fields such as counselling, after-care, nursing, psychological services and physical education. Weekly in-service training is carried out within institutions to cater for the needs of individual institutions.
Non-Government Organisations
A number of organisations assist the department in providing services to help ex-prisoners reintegrate into the community. These organisations include the Society for the Rehabilitation of Offenders, Hong Kong Caritas Lok Heep Club and the Christian Kun Sun Association who provide a wide range of services, such as case work, counselling, hostel accommodation, employment guidance, recreational activities as well as care for those who have a history of mental illness.
Civil Aid Services
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The Civil Aid Services (CAS) is an auxiliary emergency relief organisation. Its main role is to support other regular government departments tackling emergency situations. The CAS is financed by the government and has an establishment of 3 818 uniformed and disciplined adult volunteers, 3 232 cadets and 126 permanent staff.
Role and Responsibilities
With a heavy emphasis on coping with natural disasters, the tasks of the CAS are numerous and far-reaching. The volunteers are trained to perform counter-disaster duties during tropical cyclones, when landslips and flooding occur; to search for and rescue persons trapped in collapsed buildings; to fight forest fires and to patrol country parks; to manage Vietnamese detention centres; to combat oil pollution at sea; to assist the police in crowd control and incident management; and to perform first-aid, casualty handling and evacuation. They also carry out difficult mountain rescue operations. On any weekend or public holiday it is normal for over 500 volunteers to perform duty.