Commandant Arthur Kwok Chi-shun hopes to recruit 288 officers this year. He thinks 2009 is a difficult year because he expects more quick cash crimes in the midst of the financial tsunami.

The Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force (HKAPF) faces significant challenges as it celebrates its golden anniversary this year.

But those challenges are by no means daunting and could be overcome without much difficulty, according to HKAPF Commandant Arthur Kwok Chi-shun.

The global economic crisis might drive some people to resort to crimes against property, like robbery, and phenomenon could exert pressures on the both Hong Kong's regular and auxiliary police forces.

Retaining staff for long-term service is another challenge that the HKAPF confronts.

The auxiliary force, however, is properly equipped to deal with whatever difficulties that lie ahead even as it reaches back to its distinguished track record of community service.

"This year is important to us," he said.

"As global recession continues to affect adversely economies around the world, the number of economic crimes will likely increase. Robbery, picking pockets and other crimes aimed at getting cash quickly will likely rise, requiring greater visibility of uniformed policemen on the streets," Kwok said.

"Major events that will attract huge crowds of people, such as the

East Asian Games that will be held here in December, also exert considerable pressure on the HKAPF," he added.

Over the recent past, the auxiliary force has backed up the regular police force in maintaining law and order while major international events were held in Hong Kong.

A case in point was the World Trade Organization's 6th ministerial conference in December 2005 which drew more than 10,000 participants from across the world, including scores of activists which tried to disrupt the event which lasted eight days.

About 1,100 HKAPF officers were mobilized for the conference every day, Kwok recalls.

"Our deployment then accounted for one-fourth of our total manpower resources," he said, as he reminisced on some of the tense moments between the Hong Kong police and foreign activists who tried to storm the WTO conference venue in Wan Chai.

"At the time, officers from the regular police force were deployed to protect the conference venue from the predominantly Korean peasants. Members of the HKAPF had to fill security gaps on the streets. We did very well during those tense moments and the crime rate was 5 percent lower than during normal days," he said.

The auxiliaries were again called out in large numbers when Hong Kong hosted the equestrian competition during the Olympic games last year.

The HKAPF mobilized more than 1,000 officers on one or two of those days when the equestrian competition was held here. Last year's Legislative Council elections also saw more than 1,000 auxiliaries guarding more than 500 polling stations.

"The regular police force is under very heavy pressures whenever major public events are held here, such as the handover and reunification anniversaries. We serve as back-up to the regular force. But it is also very difficult for us to supply more than 1,000 officers every time there is a major activity because our staffing strength is no more than 4,000 officers," he said.

The HKPAF was officially established in 1959 with the amalgamation of Hong Kong Police Reserve and Special Constabulary, but it dates back its history to 1914.

In their early days, the auxiliaries played a back-up role to the regular police force in times of war, riot and natural disaster.

Today, HKAPF boasts of a trained reserve contingent of about 4,000 officers who also perform street patrols and maintain public order.

Kwok said manpower shortage is another big challenge that HKAPF constantly grapples with.

To address this problem, the auxiliary force is launching a large-scale recruitment drive this year. "We hope to recruit 288 officers this year," he said. "Our average staff turnover rate is 6 percent. If we can recruit 280 staff, then there will be a net growth this year."

He noted that a 6 percent turnover rate is very high and unacceptable.

Most officers quit the HKAPF because work with the auxiliaries often ran into conflict with their regular jobs.

As civil servants accounted for about 40 percent of the auxiliary police force's staffing strength, the retirement of civil servants who joined HKAPF in the1970s constituted nearly 40 percent of staff turnover.

He also noted that as much as 16 percent of HKAPF officers resigned during the first five years of their service.

"If officers stay with the HKAPF for less than five years, this comprises a big waste of the government's financial resources, given the fact that we spend an average of more than HK$30,000 to train an officer," he remarked.

He said the turnover rate in the Auxiliary Police Undergraduates Scheme, which is on its fourth year, is also around 16 percent. Among university students who quit this program, close to 45 percent joined the police force as full-time police officers or other disciplined services.

Although HKAPF faces a significant staff turnover problem, Kwok said he is not worried because more than 3,000 people apply every year to join the auxiliary force. The only issue, he noted, are young recruits who leave the service early.

People with a keen desire to render community service and who don't mind sacrificing part of their leisure time are very much welcome to join the auxiliary police force, he said.

"Signing up with the HKAPF and rendering service to the community are meaningful tasks that could broaden one's horizon and strengthen one's abilities while serving Hong Kong people at the same time," he said.

(HK Edition 05/22/2009 page2)