The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), established in 1841, currently has a workforce of around 40,000 personnel. The organization’s policy is to recruit throughout the year and looks at hiring “high caliber” individuals for the roles of inspectors and constables. The Hong Kong Police College, which was established in January 2006, is designed to run nine-month courses to provide comprehensive training for inspector-level candidates.109 Despite the need for more officers and the continuous recruitment, it isn’t very easy to join—the HKPF is extremely selective. It believes that its people are its greatest asset, so an officer’s access to professional development programs increases during their service in the force as well as after receiving promotions. Officers at the middle-management level are trained in leadership and commanding during critical incidents. Officers in the Force are only granted increments if their performance is considered satisfactory or better.

Based on the belief that every individual is a big asset to the organization, the HKPF expends considerable resources and effort in acquisition and training. It also adopts and implements sophisticated human resources management (HRM) practices to give them an edge over private employers.

Acquisition of the right people begins with recruitment and selection for entry-level posts, mostly police constables and police inspectors. The human resources branch, under the personnel wing,

is actively engaged in publicizing the recruitment program through various media and organizations, including schools and universities.

The Hong Kong Police Mentorship Program (PMP) looks for interested undergraduate students and enrolls them in a mentor-mentee program with members of the Force; the mentors serve as role models to the prospective recruits. PMP participants usually have a higher success rate in securing full-time posts in the Force after graduation than those acquired through other recruitment channels.

The selection process for police officers tries to identify various core competencies in each candidate, like communication,

judgment, confidence, and leadership. Candidates who apply for the post of police inspector have to pass a written examination,

which includes English and Chinese language proficiency tests,

an aptitude test, and the Basic Law (BL) test. In 2010, a psychometric test was introduced to assess candidates’ personalities. An extended interview (or assessment center) that requires group discussion,

presentation, and management and leadership exercises is also conducted to gauge competencies such as communication,

judgment, confidence, leadership, and staff and resource management.

Then, a panel interview, physical fitness test, as well as an integrity check and a medical examination are organized.

The Police College is responsible for training and developing the new recruits. Its Foundation Training Centre organizes stringent training programs for recruits with a focus on foundational knowledge and skills. The programs cover law and procedures, practical exercises, police tactics, weaponry, parades, first aid, and public order. The training programs also lay out the vision, common purpose,

and values of the force. In addition to these programs, a variety of development training courses are organized by the college’s Professional Development Learning Centre specifically for junior police officers, inspectors, and superintendents after they complete a specified number of years of service or have received a promotion.

Overseas development opportunities may also be provided.

As the work is quite demanding, police officers in Hong Kong are paid a little more than the civil servants in other departments. Newly recruited constables are paid between HKD31,000 and HKD34,000 (around $3,999–$4,387)

while new inspectors and senior inspectors receive between HKD67,000 and HKD76,000 (around $8,645–$9,806) upon successful completion of standardized police examinations.

After graduation, the police officers are assigned to a specific unit or formation for a few years. Then they regularly rotate through posts in different units or districts. This rotation is believed to benefit the individual officers as well as the organization as they can gain more experience in policing, administration, and human resource issues, thus getting a better and more rounded career development opportunity. Each officer builds more relationships, develops greater confidence in their job-performance, and gains a holistic view of the force. This also enables the police organization to achieve better coordination and succession planning and be less susceptible to corruption in the local communities.

As a result, a learning culture is developed that constitutes a vital part of the HKPF’s strategic human resource management framework.

Discussion Questions 

1. Identify the environmental forces that affect the current development of various HRM activities in the HKPF.

2. What are the advantages or disadvantages of the police mentoring program for the force and prospective candidates?

3. Evaluate the reliability and validity of written tests being used in the selection of the police officers.

4. The HKPF successfully nurtures a learning culture in the organization.

Identify various training and development activities that help shape the culture.