Sessional_Paper_1948 — Page 32

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the same rates of pay as similar staff in the Harbour Department. We consider that civilian motor drivers, mechanics and telephone operators should be absorbed into the ranks of the Police. We are unable to recommend that the clerical staff of the Department should form a separate cadre as suggested by the Commissioner of Police, but consider that they should remain members of the General Clerical Service. Wireless operators should, in our opinion, be seconded from the Telecommunications Branch of the Post Office.

We

Local

92. We consider that the recruitment and training of suitable local sub-inspectors of Police is of the greatest importance and while candidates may in future be obtained through promotion from the ranks it is probable that in the near future local sub-inspectors will in the majority of cases be appointed by recruitment from outside the Force. We recommend that a School Leaving Certificate should be the minimum educational qualification and that candidates should be required to be of good physique and to have had a good games record. Entry should be by competitive examination. As it is unlikely that overseas. officers will in future be recruited as sub-inspectors without some previous police experience in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, we consider that the potential value of a local recruit to the Sub-Inspectorate is likely to be considerably less than that of an overseas recruit for some years. therefore propose that there should be two grades for sub-inspectors. officers with no previous Police training or experience would enter as sub- inspectors, grade II, on a scale rising from $3,000 per annum for the first two years by annual increments of $300 to $4,200. Between sub-inspector, grade II, and sub-inspector, grade I, we propose an efficiency bar, but we would not preclude officers who display exceptional promise and ability from rising to grade I before reaching the maximum of the grade II scale. Overseas recruits would normally commence as sub-inspectors, grade I, on $4,800 per annum plus expatriation pay, provided that they had had previous Police experience. On reaching grade I local officers who had already served a two year probation on first appointment would proceed from $4.800 per annum. to $5,100 per annum, whereas overseas officers entering the grade I scale direct would be required to serve a three year probation period on $4,800 per annum before proceeding to $5,100 per annum. During this period overseas sub-inspectors should be given facilities for language study and confirmation to the permanent establishment should depend on their passing the first two examinations in Cantonese and satisfying the Commissioner of Police that they have a knowledge of law adequate for their work. The scale proceeds from $4,800 per annum by annual increments of $300 to $7,200 per annum and thence by annual increments of $480 to $9,600 per annum. Efficiency bars operate at $7,200 per annum and $9,600 per annum. The second efficiency bar must be passed before an officer rises to the rank of inspector. A promotion bar operates between $11,520 per annum, the maximum salary of an inspector, and $12,960 per annum, the minimum of the scale for chief inspectors.

93. Until local officers have had sufficient experience in the Inspectorate to prove their suitability for promotion to gazetted rank, it is probable that the majority of recruits for the gazetted ranks will be drawn from overseas officers either recruited direct or promoted from the Inspectorate. As promising local candidates become available, we recommend that they should be appointed on a salary of $4,200 for a year on trial and that, if satisfactory, they should then be sent to the United Kingdom for a year's course at the Police Training College at Hendon, or any similar training institution, followed by a year's attachment to a United Kingdom Police Force. After the satis-· factory completion of this training, they would enter the scale for assistant superintendents at $7,680 per annum proceeding in the following year to $8,640 per annum. They should be eligible for confirmation to the permanent establishment two years after entering the scale.

94. We recommend a scale for assistant superintendents of police rising from $7,680 per annum to $15,600 per annum, with an efficiency bar between $11,520 and $12,000 per annum. We consider that advancement from the rank of assistant superintendent beyond $15,600 per annum to the rank of superin- tendent should be by promotion and that in future the distinction between assistant superintendent and superintendent should not be merely a question of length of service or the passing of an efficiency bar. We do not recommend the retention of the rank of senior superintendent. We understand that Government has approved in principle the creation of a grade of assistant commissioner in addition to that of deputy commissioner. For the grade of assistant commissioner we recommend a basic salary of $22,080, for the grade of deputy commissioner $24,000 and for the Commissioner $28,800 per annum.