ENG-2004 — Page 413

Public Order | 351

The rapid growth of cross-boundary traffic makes the construction of new boundary crossing facilities an imminent need. Presently, the Force is participating in the development and implementation of boundary crossing facilities at Dongjiaotou, Shekou, and also at the Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau Rail Spur Line East Rail Extension at Lok Ma Chau. Both facilities will be policed upon their completion, in mid 2006 and late 2006 respectively.

A further cross-boundary project, the 'Sky City' at Hong Kong International Airport, is under development by the Airport Authority. It will comprise police facilities at the customs, immigration and quarantine point within the Skyplaza. The first phase of this project will be implemented by July 2006.

Transport

During the year, almost half of the large motorcycle fleet was renewed while, in line with overall Government policy, the overall size of the fleet has been reduced. The reduction has been achieved through vehicle resource re-allocation and process re-engineering, without compromising either safety or service levels.

Information and Communication Technology

To meet the challenges ahead and improve its service to the Force and the public, the Information Systems Wing underwent fundamental organisational re-structuring during 2004. As a result of the re-organisation, the wing has been streamlined with day-to-day functional and

functional and business-related activities being performed by nine operational divisions instead of 18 under the old structure. Other main features of the re-organisation included the amalgamation of Information Technology Branch and Communications Branch services such as the merger of their helpdesks, as well as centralisation of administrative and financial support staff to optimise the deployment of resources.

One of the police management priorities is to apply new advances in technology and knowledge to enhance management efficiency, improve communication and develop knowledge management. In furtherance of this, a new Information Systems Strategy Review commenced in 2003. The first phase was a Data Security Review, completed in April 2004. This was followed by an Information Technology Audit, which included Force-wide consultation on user satisfaction and information needs. To carry forward the review, an advisory panel comprising academics and experts has been set up for consultation to take advantage of the latest developments in the field. A similar review is now under way for communication systems.

Epitomising the increasingly close collaboration in the areas of information technology and communications has been the development of the Third Generation Command and Control System Project (CC3). As 2004 drew to a close, CC3 was successfully rolled out in the New Territories Regions. This has brought the Force to the forefront of incident handling and dispatch capabilities for emergency services throughout the Asia-Pacific area, providing stable and secure radio communication and improving the deployment of manpower and resources to better serve the people of Hong Kong. The facility will be extended to Hong Kong Island Region in May 2005 and to the Kowloon Regions in January 2006.