CIVIL AND ADMINISTRATION
Civilians employed by the Force come under the overall direction of the Police Civil Secretary who is the Com- missioner's chief adviser on civil administration, finance, establishment, planning and research and public relations,
Civilian personnel
This division supports the Police Civil Secretary in the management of more than 3,700 civilian staff employed throughout the Force. The civilian element, which is represented by more than 60 departmental and general grades, constitutes 18 per cent of the Force establishment, and discharges a wide range of mainly administrative and technical functions.
The year was marked by two events. Firstly, a noticeable shortage of typing and secretarial support became apparent. This followed a reduction in such posts by the Secretariat. The timing of this reduction was unfortunate as it coin- cided with a major expansion of police strength and activity. Action was put in hand to restore a number of typing and stenographic posts.
The second event was the decision of the Association of Police Interpreters to take industrial action in furtherance of a pay claim. This was the first time that industrial action had been taken by any element of the Force. By the end of the year, despite a number of lengthy meetings between the official side and the Association no solution to the dispute was in sight.
Civilianisation of disciplined posts requiring no police powers, training and presence remains an important Force objective. During the year 137 disciplined posts were civilianised, bringing the total to 505 since 1972.
Finance and Stores Division
The Finance and Stores Division consists of four sections: Finance, Stores, Armoury and Catering.
The Finance Section is responsible for the control and correct recording of all financial matters and transactions relating to revenue and expenditure. Every effort was made to confine the Force's expenditure within its overall budget; unforeseen additional expenditure being catered for by savings from other areas. These objectives were achieved without affecting the Force's efficiency.
The budget for the financial year ending March 1978 was $563,040,000 of which $486,638,000 covered salaries and allowances, $49,395,000 recrurrent expenditure and $27,007,000 capital expenditure. A separate budget of $28,334,000 was provided for the maintenance and up- keep of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force.
The Stores Section has been hard pressed to meet requirements over the past year. While there have been substantial increases in strength, the time required to obtain delivery of essential items has become longer. Many of the items which have to be procured from overseas now take up to a year to arrive and this makes stock control very difficult. It also necessitates the holding of larger stocks of items to help offset the longer delivery times and this, in turn, has led to problems of storage space. However,
apart from a few shortages of particular sizes of clothing and equipment there have been comparatively few problems, and these have been quickly resolved in various ways.
Minor modifications to uniform styles have been taking place throughout the year with the introduction of shoes instead of boots, and the changeover from shorts to trousers with summer uniform. Both of these changes are being effected gradually and at minimum cost by ensuring that the new items are issued only when existing items have to be exchanged due to unserviceability. The transition period is expected to last for at least one more year, and during that time minor differences in dress will be dis- cernible among officers in the Uniform Branch.
With the expansion of the Force, the general widening of activities and the introduction of new procedures, there is an increasing demand for new and more sophisticated equipment. The range of items now in use by the Force runs into many thousands and the problem of maintenance and repair is growing. The Force has three tailors and three cobblers, but the repair of other items mainly has to be negotiated with local suppliers who are inevitably less interested in repair work than in supplying new equipment.
The Force Armoury is responsible for the maintenance and annual inspection of small arms held by the Force, and also by other Government departments such as the Customs and Excise Service of the Trade, Industry and Customs Department, the abattoirs managed by the Urban Council, and the Agriculture and Fisheries Department.
An inspection and repair programme ensures that the arms held by both the regular and Auxiliary forces are kept in good condition. Force expansion naturally has brought about increased holdings of arms and ammunition. During the year other weapons of various types were added, bringing the total Force holding to approximately 23,000 weapons and their accessories.
The training scheme for technical apprentices in the Force Armoury has progressed satisfactorily and will con- tinue to expand.
The Catering Section ensures that sufficient facilities are provided in police stations, on sea-going launches, and in specialist formations to feed police officers both on and off duty. Most formations have canteens and messes operated by catering contractors, and special arrangements are made to provide meals for persons in police custody. The Police Training School, the Police Tactical Unit, and the Cadet School have permanent catering staff, and each sea-going launch has a cook on board. In addition there are three mobile canteens which can be directed to the scene of any operation where refreshments may be necessary. There are 26 contractors providing catering services and the Catering Office is responsible for the tendering procedures, the preparation of contracts, and advising on day-to-day management.
Police Public Relations Bureau
There are five sections within the Police Public Relations Bureau. These are the News and Information Room, the
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