XN000022-1993-07-15 — Page 13

12

THURSDAY, JULY 15, 1993

MR WONG WAI-YIN: THANK YOU. TO MAINTAIN LAW AND ORDER IN HONG KONG WE NEED A GOOD POLICE FORCE. AS MR GOVERNOR YOU SAID A MINUTE AGO, MORALE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO OUR POLICE FORCE. MY QUESTION FOR THE GOVERNOR IS THIS, IN RELATION TO THE MORALE OF THE POLICE FORCE NOW, IF IT HINGES ON THE NUMBER ONE LICENCE PLATE FOR VEHICLE, IS THIS REALLY DANGEROUS ACTUALLY? IF YOU DO FEEL THAT THIS IS RATHER DANGEROUS, WHAT MEASURES WOULD YOU TAKE TO DO SOMETHING SO THAT THE NUMBER ONE LICENCE PLATE WILL NOT BE THE SOURCE OF MORALE FOR THE POLICE?

GOVERNOR: I APPROACH ANSWERING THIS QUESTION WITH TREPIDATION SINCE I HADN'T REALISED BEFORE I CAME TO HONG KONG HOW MUCH POLITICAL PASSION COULD BE ENGENDERED BY A LICENCE PLATE. I'M ALSO INCLINED TO DEFER TO MY

HONOURABLE FRIEND THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY WHO HAS VIEWS ON THESE MATTERS WHICH HE'S ACTED ON. I DON'T THINK THAT ANYBODY

IS ARGUING SERIOUSLY THAT THE MORALE OF THE POLICE IS WHOLLY DEPENDENT ON THE NUMBER ON THE COMMISSIONER'S CAR. BUT IF THERE IS A VIEW IN THE POLICE THAT THIS COULD HAVE SOME IMPACT THEN I THINK ALL OF

US WHO WANT TO GIVE THE POLICE EVERY SUPPORT HAVE TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT. 1 THINK THAT THERE ARE FACTORS WHICH ARE MUCH MORE IMPORTANT IN DETERMINING POLICE MORALE. I THINK THE POLICE HAVE TO FEEL THAT THEY ARE GETTING THE RESOURCES WHICH THEY REQUIRE AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE SPENDING SEVEN BILLION MORE IN RECURRENT EXPENDITURE ON THE POLICE THAN WE WERE LAST YEAR. I THINK THE POLICE HAVE TO FEEL THAT THEY'RE GETTING THE EQUIPMENT WHICH THEY NEED, I THINK THEY HAVE TO FEEL THAT THEY HAVE THE RECRUITMENT WHICH GIVES THEM THE NUMBERS REQUIRED TO DO THE JOB THE COMMUNITY EXPECTS OF THEM. I THINK THEY HAVE A RIGHT NOT TO HAVE THEIR PROFESSIONAL JUDGEMENT ENDLESSLY QUESTIONED WHEN THEY HAVE TO EXERCISE IT VERY OFTEN IN HARROWING CIRCUMSTANCES WITH SPLIT SECOND TIMING AND HAVE TO SHOW THE SORT OF BRAVERY THAT MOST OF US AREN'T REQUIRED TO DISPLAY IN OUR DAY TO DAY LIVES. SO, THE POLICE I THINK LOOK TO OTHER MATTERS TO BOLSTER THEIR MORALE AND I SUSPECT ABOVE ALL THE RECOGNITION THAT THEIR MISSION AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS CENTRAL TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE COMMUNITY. WHEN I SPEAK ABOUT THE POLICE IN THOSE TERMS I'D LIKE TO REFER AS WELL TO THE OTHER DISCIPLINED SERVICES. I SPENT AN EVENING RECENTLY WITH SOME OF THE SENIOR OFFICERS IN THE FIRE SERVICE, I DOUBT WHETHER THERE IS A BETTER FIRE SERVICE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD., SO, MORALE 1 THINK GOES BEYOND NUMBER PLATES. IF NUMBER PLATES HAVE A PART IN MORALE, SO BE IT.

MRS SELINA CHOW: THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT. GOVERNOR, IN THE APPARENT RISING CORRUPTION, AS REFLECTED IN THE NUMBER OF PARTICULARLY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR, WHAT SPECIFIC MEASURES TAKEN OR WILL BE TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT ΤΟ STRENGTHEN PARTICULARLY IN THE CIVIL SERVICE?

FACE OF REPORTS, ARE BEING

PREVENTION,

/GOVERNOR