TNAG-2093-FCO40-2979-Royal-Hong-Kong-Police-Force-1990 — Page 44

Educational Standard Of Applicants

2.7

Apart from difficulty in recruiting sufficient officers, the numbers applying to join

are diminishing and those who have applied have proportionally lower education standards than

in previous times. Although the Force has not lowered its standards, it has had to be less

selective. This has frustrated the Force's long standing policy to raise the quality of recruits and

reduces the pool of Л O officers suitable for promotion to the Inspectorate.

(SEE GRAPHS 4 & 5 - Educational qualifications of applicants)

2.8

A number of factors have affected the Force's ability to attract sufficient

candidates of a suitable calibre, most notably these have included:

2.9

- A burgeoning Hong Kong economy;

-

A tight labour market;

- High private sector salaries, and

- Uncertainty over the future of the Force post 1997.

In September, the Government announced a pay award which raises the starting

salary for recruit constables to $7,500. Since then there has been some improvement in the numbers applying to join the Force, but it is still too early to either quantify or asses the impact

of this. At best it is unlikely that the Force will meet more than 30% of this year's

recruitment target.