SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 1975
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STANDARDS OF PRISON RECRUITS RAISED
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THE STANDARDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE RECRUITED BY THE PRISONS DEPART- MENT HAVE BEEN HIGHER BOTH IN TERMS OF EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND GENERAL CALIBRE BECAUSE OF COMPETITION FOR POSTS.
ADDRESSING SOME 60 GRADUATE ASSISTANT OFFICERS AT A PASSING OUT PARADE THIS MORNING, THE DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SERVICES, MR. DAVID FORD. SAID THAT THE FACT THAT MORE PEOPLE WERE JOINING THE PRISONS DEPARTMENT WAS A REFLECTION NOT ONLY OF BETTER PAY AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE, BUT ALSO OF THE INCREASING NUMBER OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WERE ANXIOUS TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY IN A MEANINGFUL WAY.
MR. FORD SAID ONE OF THE MANY DIFFICULT TASKS AHEAD OF THEM WOULD BE THE CARE OF THE EVER INCREASING NUMBER OF YOUNG CRIMINALS WHO HAD COMMITTED VIOLENT CRIMES.
HE BELIEVED THAT THEIR PERSONAL ABILITIES AND THE PERIOD OF TRAINING THEY HAD SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED WOULD ENABLE THEM TO FACE THE FUTURE WITH CONFIDENCE.
THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL SPEECH OF MR. FORD AT THE PASSING OUT PARADE AT THE STANLEY STAFF TRAINING INSTITUTE TODAY:
+ IT IS A VERY GREAT PRIVILEGE AND PLEASURE FOR ME TO TAKE YOUR PARADE THIS MORNING.
+MY CLOSE AND HAPPY ASSOCIATION WITH THE PRISONS DEPARTMENT AND MY ADMIRATION FOR IT GOES BACK OVER SEVEN YEARS TO THE TROUBLED DAYS OF 1967 WHEN PRISON OFFICERS WERE CALLED UPON TO SHOULDER A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF EXTRA WORK AS A RESULT OF THE DISTURBANCES. NOR HAS THE PRESSURE LET UP SINCE THEN AS THE INCREASED AMOUNT OF CRIME HAS MEANT THAT THE PRISONS HAVE BEEN CROWDED AND THE STRAIN ON PRISON OFFICERS INCREASED.
+1 HAVE SPENT A DAY OR TWO IN STANLEY PRISON MYSELF WHEN IN EASTER OF 1973 THERE WERE A FEW PROBLEMS HERE. THAT PERIOD ENABLED ME TO WITNESS AT CLOSE QUARTERS THE SKILL AND EXPERIENCE WHICH PRISON OFFICERS NEED TO DEAL WITH THE DIFFICULT SITUATIONS IN WHICH THEY INEVITABLY FIND THEMSELVES FROM TIME TO TIME.
+THERE ARE ON PARADE TODAY 60 ASSISTANT OFFICERS AND THERE ARE IN THE DEPARTMENT 227 MORE OFFICERS UNDER TRAINING. IN ADDITION I AM TOLD THERE ARE 158 MORE APPLICANTS ON THE WAITING LIST FOR POSTS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. THIS ENCOURAGING SITUATION IS, I AM SURE, A REFLECTION NOT ONLY OF THE BETTER PAY AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE WHICH HAVE RECENTLY BEEN INTRODUCED, BUT ALSO OF THE FACT THAT THERE IS AN INCREASING NUMBER OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WHO ARE ANXIOUS TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY IN A MEANINGFUL WAY, AND QUITE RIGHTLY BELIEVE THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO DO THIS BY JOINING THE PRISONS SERVICE. COMPETITION FOR POSTS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT HAS ENABLED THE COMMISSIONER TO RAISE STANDARDS BOTH IN TERMS OF EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND IN THE GENERAL CALIBRE OF THOSE ACCEPTED. ALL THIS IS VERY ENCOURAGING AND AUGERS WELL FOR THE CONTINUING SUCCESS OF THE DEPARTMENT.
/+THAT SUCCESS