ENG-1989 — Page 296

PUBLIC ORDER

A psychological counselling service has been provided for all force members and their families. Mental health and stress management programmes have been run to help officers to cope with the high stress and demands of police environment. Force psychologists are also involved in teaching officers various psychological skills relevant to their daily operations.

Resettlement programmes are also organised by the force and resettlement officers are available to police and civilian officers of all ranks who have reached the age of 52. Assistance is given to retired officers and civilians in obtaining further employment upon leaving the force.

Police Museum

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The Police Museum, open to members of the public since November 1988, has become a popular visiting spot especially during the weekends. With a total area of 560 square metres it is housed in the former Wan Chai Gap Police Station and includes four exhibition galleries: the Orientation Gallery, the Narcotics Gallery, the Triad Societies Gallery and the Current Exhibition Gallery.

Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force

The Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force is manned entirely by volunteers from all walks of life. Its current strength is 5 385, of whom about 11 per cent are women officers. The role of the force is to assist the regular police in day-to-day constabulary duties and to provide additional manpower when needed for such emergencies as major disasters or public disorder.

During 1989, the force was called upon to provide 72 personnel each day for guard duties at refugee camps set up to house the large influx of Vietnamese boat people. Additionally, all auxiliary police formations shared the burden with their regular counterparts for crowd control duties for the emotionally-charged processions in Hong Kong during May and June in the wake of the student uprising in China.

Throughout the year, the average daily turnout of auxiliaries for normal constabulary duty was 777 officers.

Police Complaints Committee

The Police Complaints Committee, set up in 1986 to replace the former UMELCO Police Group, is an independent group appointed by the Governor. Its main function is to monitor and review the investigation by the Complaints Against the Police Office (CAPO) of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, of complaints made against the police by the public. The chairman and two vice-chairmen of the committee are drawn from the Office of Members of the Executive and Legislative Councils (OMELCO). Committee members include eight Justices of the Peace, the Attorney General or his representative and the Commissioner for Administrative Complaints.

During the year, the committee endorsed 2 675 complaint cases, after being satisfied that each case had been thoroughly and impartially investigated by the CAPO. The committee also proposed a number of changes to police practices, procedures and instructions arising from the reviewing of these complaint cases, with a view to improving the effectiveness of the complaint system and assisting the Commissioner of Police in minimising public complaints against the police.

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