Correctional Services Department 2022 Annual Review

The Correctional Services Department Staff Training Institute was retitled as the Hong Kong Correctional Services Academy (HKCSA) on 1 July 2022, marking a new milestone for the Correctional Services Department (CSD) in the provision of professional training for correctional officers.

The HKCSA is responsible for planning and organising various training programmes to equip staff with professional job knowledge so as to assist them in discharging their duties and fulfilling the mission, vision and values of the Department. The HKCSA organises a wide range of training programmes, including 26-week and 23-week recruit training for newly-recruited Officers and Assistant Officers respectively, which covers operational knowledge, virtual reality (VR) and on-site scenario training, tactical training, field placement at correctional institutions, national security education and integrity management, etc. To enhance the work efficiency of staff members and facilitate their career development, the HKCSA also organises various professional development training programmes on a regular basis, such as refresher courses, job-related training programmes, professional management training and command courses, etc. In 2022, the HKCSA provided a total of 89 training programmes for about 1 700 staff.

To enhance the professionalism of correctional officers, the HKCSA has been committed to offering courses recognised under the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (HKQF) for staff in recent years. The HKCSA has already been accredited as a HKQF Level 5 operator by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications, being qualified to offer courses at HKQF Level 5 (pitched at the same HKQF Level as a local Bachelor’s Degree) or below.

At present, the Department offers seven courses recognised under the HKQF, which include the recruit training programmes for Assistant Officers and Officers, namely “Professional Diploma in Correctional Services” (a HKQF Level 4 course pitched at the same HKQF Level as a local Higher Diploma) and “Professional Diploma in Correctional Management” (a HKQF Level 5 course pitched at the same HKQF Level as a local Bachelor’s Degree) respectively. Both programmes are recognised by individual tertiary institutions for credit exemptions, so as to encourage continuous learning and promote a lifelong learning culture among staff.

To further enhance the level of professionalism of its training, the HKCSA has collaborated with a local tertiary institution since July 2022 to organise a HKQF Level 6 programme “Postgraduate Certificate in Correctional Governance and Leadership” (pitched at the same HKQF Level as a local Master’s Degree), the first of its kind in Asia. Targeting senior correctional officers of Superintendent rank or above, the programme covers governance knowledge and skills for their application in correctional work, so that they can exercise better governance and management for the Department, thereby enhancing the governance standard of the CSD.

Since 2018, the Department has been granted the Hong Kong Most Innovative Knowledge Enterprise (MIKE) Award and the Global MIKE Award for five consecutive years.

The CSD will continue to offer more courses recognised under the HKQF to continuously enhance the competence and professionalism of correctional officers.

The CSD selects qualified candidates with aspirations to join correctional services through a stringent recruitment process, and provides them with professional training, so as to build a team of well-trained, highly-motivated and well-disciplined members.

In recent years, the CSD has been actively implementing “Smart Training”, with a view to enhancing professionalism and efficiency of the training provided by the HKCSA, and cultivating knowledge-based correctional officers with the application of innovation and technology.

The HKCSA has designed a 3-tier Teaching and Learning Framework. Tier 1 is “Interactive Classroom Training”, which converts traditional classrooms into e-classrooms to enhance interactive teaching; Tier 2 is “Bridging Scenario Training”, which allows trainees to apply knowledge and job skills they have learnt during lessons through VR training, e-theatre and tabletop exercises.

As for Tier 3 “Scenario Training”, the HKCSA plans to incorporate different “Smart Prison” elements into the existing scenario training facilities in the HKCSA and Ma Hang Prison to enable trainees to undergo training in simulated institutional settings. Besides, the HKCSA has further developed its Tier 3 training into “Cross Scenario Training”, under which serving staff from various sections are arranged to team up with trainees to undergo scenario training in Cape Collison Correctional Institution, enabling the trainees to learn from the serving staff in a real institutional setting. Such a contemporary mode of training brings tremendous benefits to trainees undergoing recruit or development training. As for the application of technology, the “e-CSA” app serves as an interactive communication platform, through which not only can trainees browse the latest information about the HKCSA, their personal learning progress, assessment results and other learning information, they can also initiate online discussion with teaching staff and other trainees outside classroom.

Training through the application of innovation and technology has received a positive response from trainees. After training, trainees are capable of handling unforeseen incidents in institutions head-on with no fear.

The CSD has fully adopted Chinese-style foot drill since 1 July 2022. To tie in with this development, foot drill instructors from the HKCSA were assigned to provide training on Chinese-style foot drill at various institutions from April to June 2022. Five Chinese-style foot drill instructor courses were also held in the HKCSA for staff from institutions detaining young persons in custody. In May 2022, the HKCSA launched the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chinese-style Foot Drill Self-learning System, which aims to enhance the training quality through the integration of both the innovative and traditional modes of teaching. Trainees can also practise on their own by using this system in their spare time.

In addition, since July 2022, the HKCSA has launched a foot drill training programme under which Chinese-style foot drill instructor courses are organised for seven auxiliary services and youth uniform groups. Through this programme, the HKCSA aims to train up Chinese-style foot drill “seed instructors” for various uniform groups, not only to promote the culture of Chinese-style foot drill and lay a foundation for the introduction of Chinese-style foot drill for various uniform groups in the future, but also to serve as a starting point to deepen young people’s understanding of our country and strengthen their sense of national pride. So far a total of 96 participants have completed the course and become Chinese-style foot drill “seed instructors”.

Besides, extended training of the programme was provided by the HKCSA for 20 youth members referred by the foot drill “seed instructors”. The extended training covers the use of the AI Chinese-style Foot Drill Self-learning System, national security education, life planning and a recruitment talk, etc.

The Department held a session on the Spirit of the President’s Important Speech at its Headquarters on 15 July 2022, with more than 40 Directorates, Heads of Institutions and Heads of Sections participating in the session in person or via video conferencing to comprehensively study the spirit of the important speech delivered by President Xi Jinping at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. In the speech, “four musts” and “four proposals” were put forward.

The Department also launched a series of training activities such as seminars, study weeks and online sharing sessions on the Spirit of the President’s Important Speech, and produced posters and animated videos about the Speech, so as to enable staff at all levels to grasp the core essence of the Speech, relate it to and build it into their own work. Moreover, trainees receiving recruit training and serving staff participating in development training courses are required to attend training courses on the Constitution, the Basic Law, the National Security Law and National Studies to understand the way forward for the country’s development.

The Department held a session on the Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at its Headquarters on 25 October 2022. The Commissioner, Mr Wong Kwok-hing, attended as the keynote speaker, with more than 40 Directorates, Heads of Institutions and Heads of Sections participating in the session to comprehensively study the spirit of the important speech delivered at the 20th National Congress. During the session, the Commissioner quoted from the Report to the 20th National Congress: “In the face of turbulent developments in Hong Kong, the central government exercised its overall jurisdiction over the special administrative region as prescribed by China’s Constitution and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.” In addition, the Commissioner emphasised that it was necessary for the Department to implement the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong”, and all members of the Department should pledge allegiance to “One Country, Two Systems” and guard the last element of Hong Kong’s criminal justice system with unswerving devotion, in order to safeguard national security, promote Hong Kong’s transition “from chaos to order”, and start a new chapter of “advancing from stability to prosperity”.

The Department has uploaded links to the summary and the full text of the speech of the Report to the 20th National Congress to the Knowledge Management System on the Department’s intranet for access and study by all staff members, so as to ensure the Department to move forward in line with the development of our country.

The HRD has launched “Project NOVA” to assist non-ethnic Chinese (NEC) youths with life planning in a systematic way through various activities, including visits to the HKCSA, career interview workshops and physical fitness activities, etc., so as to assist NEC youths in developing positive values, planning their life paths, tackling difficulties in job searching and preparing them for future studies and employment. Besides, the Department also encourages NEC youths to apply for vacancies of the CSD and other disciplined services, enabling them to contribute to society and promoting inclusiveness. In 2022, eight NEC applicants for vacancies of the CSD were recruited, with one recruited as Officer and the other seven recruited as Assistant Officer II.

In 2022, Hong Kong was hard hit by the epidemic. Despite the immense difficulties in such trying times, correctional staff remained steadfast in their duties, exerting their utmost to overcome the difficulties without fear. To further strengthen staff’s psychological well-being and resilience, Clinical Psychologists (Staff Services) produced a set of videos promoting positive psychology for viewing by staff members. In addition, Clinical Psychologists (Staff Services) also assist to manage the support hotline provided by the Psychological Services Section to render counselling and psychological support to staff members in need.

In 2022, through the appointment of 374 Integrity Ambassadors and 22 Integrity Management Teams, the Department continued to organise a wide range of activities to enhance staff’s awareness of personal ethics and promote integrity management at different levels. The Department has maintained close collaboration with the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Civil Service College to provide integrity training and organise anti-corruption talks for new recruits and serving staff on a regular basis. In addition, in 2022, the Department produced a promotion video series containing six episodes to provide staff with knowledge about integrity-related legislation and other related knowledge in a humourous manner.

Given the unique working environment and special requirements of different positions in the Department, the CSD has been maintaining close communication with the CSB to review periodically the job-related allowances (JRAs) provided for disciplined services staff of the CSD. Efforts have been made to seek compensation for correctional officers with relevant job-related qualifications. Eight JRAs are currently payable to eligible correctional officers.

Besides, the Department has been exploring feasible options to improve the leave deduction arrangement (LDA) for staff members working on a non-five-day week basis. On 1 January 2022, with the approval of the CSB, the CSD became the first disciplinary force to be allowed to regularise the “revised LDA (14 days)” (i.e. deducting 10 days of vacation leave (VL) for a continuous absence of 14 calendar days). Later, approval was obtained from the CSB again for the CSD to implement a pilot scheme on the “revised LDA (7 days)” for one year, allowing the deduction of five days of VL for a continuous absence of seven calendar days for eligible staff. The pilot scheme which covers all correctional institutions has been launched since 1 August 2022.

Moreover, as some of the correctional institutions are located in remote areas where public transport services are inadequate, the CSD provides transport for correctional staff between designated locations and the relevant correctional institutions, thereby reducing their commute time. Vessels are also arranged to transport staff working at institutions on Hei Ling Chau at nighttime. The CSD will, having regard to the availability of public transport to correctional institutions, continue to discuss with the Government Logistics Department with a view to appropriately extending the arrangement of providing transport service for correctional staff commuting to and from work.

Correctional officers have all along been working with dedication to guard the last element of Hong Kong’s criminal justice system. They respond promptly to challenges with remarkable resilience and through flexible deployment of resources during emergency. No matter inside or outside correctional institutions, correctional officers remain steadfast in duties and are always ready to serve selflessly through assuming different roles in the community.

CSD staff are committed to contributing to society by actively participating in charitable fund-raising events. In 2021-22, in recognition of CSD’s proactive efforts in the fulfilment of social responsibility and enthusiastic participation in charitable activities, the Department was awarded the Community Chest’s Silver Award for Corporate and Employee Contribution Programme, the Seventh Top Donor Award, the Highest Donation Award and the Highest Participation Rate Award in the Civil Service Category of the Community Assistance Raised by Employees Scheme. The CSD encourages all staff members to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Through Oi Kwan Volunteer Group Limited (OKVGL), serving and retired staff members and their families are encouraged and mobilised to participate in various types of volunteer services to care for and serve those in need in the community in order to promote social inclusion and harmony, as well as to enhance staff members’ sense of identity and belonging to the Department, thereby strengthening solidarity and boosting staff morale. The OKVGL was awarded the “Caring Organisation” Logo by the Hong Kong Council of Social Services for seven consecutive years from 2016 to 2022 and the “Social Capital Builder Logo Awards 2022” by the Community Investment and Inclusion Fund in 2022, in recognition of OKVGL’s commitment to care for the community, employees and the environment, as well as its contribution to the development of social capital of Hong Kong.

As the epidemic has gradually levelled off, OKVGL sub-teams, including institutional volunteer teams and sports volunteer teams, proactively took part in volunteer services in their spare time. The OKVGL co-organised a range of community services and volunteer activities with various organisations. Examples included visiting and distributing supplies to the elderly and grassroots families in need, providing life coaching and sports training to young people, providing sports activities for children with special needs, assisting charity groups in preparing food materials and meal boxes, beach cleaning, and providing support in crowd and venue management for various large-scale charitable activities, etc.

Among the “four proposals” put forward by President Xi Jinping in his important speech delivered on 1 July 2022, the third one is “earnestly addressing people’s concerns and difficulties in daily life”. Correctional officers’ devotion and dedication to community services in their spare time to address people’s difficulties in daily life demonstrate their eagerness to connect with the community, with a view to fostering a caring culture by working hand in hand with different sectors of the community.

The HRD has implemented a programme entitled “Along with CSD” since 2019. Through a series of recruitment promotion exercises, sports activities and volunteer services jointly organised by the HRD, the Correctional Services Department Sports Association and the OKVGL, which show CSD staff’s selfless devotion in various aspects, members of the public could realise the professionalism and commitment of the CSD staff, thereby enhancing their recognition to and understanding of the vision and values of the CSD.

In addition, the comprehensive and diversified activities under the programme also provide a platform for CSD staff to strengthen their cohesion among themselves, and offer opportunities for them to unleash their potential. Using their spare time to have life-on-life interactions with members of the public, CSD staff can further contribute to society, which in turn enhances their satisfaction and sense of belonging, thus becoming a highly-motivated and caring disciplined force full of positive energy.

With the gradual easing of the COVID-19 epidemic, starting from 2022, the Department progressively arranged for local and ethnic minority secondary students from different external organisations such as Hong Kong Athletes Career and Education Programme, Caritas Institute of Community Education and Hong Kong Institute of Technology to visit the HKCSA and correctional institutions under the “Along with CSD” programme, with a view to enhancing students’ understanding of CSD’s mission, correctional work and the recruitment procedures of the Department.