ENG-1981 — Page 191

PUBLIC ORDER

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The Marine Police Training School, at the old Aberdeen Police Station, is responsible for carrying out all seamanship training. During the year the Third Class Certificates of both navigation and engineering were replaced with a new Certificate of Competency, the Marine Police Efficiency Certificate.

At the Police Tactical Unit at Fanling in the New Territories, 1 869 officers from the rank of constable to superintendent underwent training in all aspects of crowd control and internal security tactics. This training consists of a three-week cadre course for supervising officers followed by a 10-week training course for the full company of 169 men. At the conclusion of this training period, companies are returned to their districts, where, for a further 20 weeks, they perform a variety of duties encompassing the whole spectrum of police work from crowd control at large sporting or social occasions to specifically tasked anti-crime operations.

Some 1 262 drivers successfully completed training at the force's comprehensive driving school which provides basic, refresher, specialist and advanced training on a wide variety of vehicles.

During the year 337 junior police officers attended full-time English language courses locally and 18 local inspectorate officers attended higher education and English language courses at Lancaster University, London. In addition, 34 officers of various ranks attended training courses in professional and technical subjects in the UK, Canada, USA, Malaysia and West Germany. 12 officers are undertaking a diploma course in Japanese at the Hong Kong Polytechnic and three officers another diploma course in business studies at the Hang Seng School of Commerce.

To cope with expansion and provide additional expertise in certain districts and branches of the force, 1981 saw the introduction of special full-time courses in accounting and financial investigation for officers from the Commercial Crimes Bureau at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and radar/navigation courses for marine police officers at the Hong Kong Polytechnic.

Police Cadet School

Since its formation in 1973, the establishment of the Police Cadet School has progressively been increased from its original 150 to its present 750. During its eight years of operation 1 518 cadets have graduated from the school. Of this number, 1 350 joined the Police Force, 33 entered the Fire Services Department, 56 chose the Customs and Excise Service and 28 jointed the Prisons Department.

Organisation and Structure

Comprehensive reviews were carried out throughout the year into various areas of the overall command structure of the force which will result in major restructuring and re- organisation of most divisions with the ultimate aim of greater decentralisation and efficiency of authority.

The New Territories District was further strengthened to cope with the rapid increase in population which, by the mid-eighties, is expected to top the two million mark. At the end of the year, the district had a total establishment of 3 541 police officers, with an actual strength of 3 567.

Planning went ahead for an expansion of the Mass Transit Railway Police Division, established in 1979 to police the Modified Initial System, in anticipation of the opening of the Tsuen Wan extension in mid-1982. At the same time, the force was also involved in planning the policing needs of the Hong Kong Island Line.