XN000022-1996-01-24 — Page 72

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Retirement and resignation rates in police force

Following is a question by the Hon Ambrose Lau Hon-chuen and a written reply by the Secretary for Civil Service, Mr Michael Sze, in Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

Question:

Civil servants wishing to retire are normally required to submit their applications one year prior to the date of retirement, and those wishing to resign have to give three months' notice (leave is normally not counted as part of the three-month notice period). It is learnt that serving "gazetted officers" of the Police Force generally have more than 20 years of service and that the leave they have accumulated may range from three months up to half a year (directorate and expatriate police officers may even accumulate up to one year of leave). With the transfer of sovereignty just one and a half years away, will the Government inform this Council

(a)

(b)

of the existing number of applications for retirement, as well as the existing number of notices of resignation received from officers in the Police Force management?

whether it has estimated the possible wastage among the Police Force management in the next two years?

Reply:

Mr President,

As at 1st January 1996, the nutriber of applications for retirement and resignation received from officers in the management ranks of Inspector to Senior Assistant Commissioner, who are to commence leave prior to finally leaving the service in the 18 months January 1996 to June 1997, now totals 134. This represents just 3.1% of staff at that level and compares very favourably with the wastage rates in the civil service as a whole of 4.8% over the past 12 months.

To understand the situation of the Police Force as a whole, it is important also to take into account wastage rates among the junior ranks. The number of Junior Police Officers (JPO) leaving the service has been decreasing over the past four years from a monthly average of 113 in 1991 to currently 74 each month. This represents a 3.6% annual turnover of staff. This slow rate of staff turnover also compares very favourably with other sectors in government. There is no indication, at this time, of an increase in the number of leavers from the JPO ranks.