Moves to arrest `great escape' at CID

Moves to arrest `great escape' at CID Wednesday, April 06, 2011 More overtime pay and reduced administrative work will be implemented to lift morale among Criminal Investigation Department officers. Measures to stop the so-called "big escape" among CID officers will be unveiled as early as next week, after an internal review of manpower and workload is completed, a source told Sing Tao Daily, sister publication of The Standard. The measures include setting up a support team to lessen administrative work and sending exhibits to the Government Laboratory. Procedures for claiming overtime pay will be simplified to allow officers to get up to HK$5,000. "We are dealing with the claims of overtime allowance in good faith," the source said. "If anyone falsely claims their working hours for allowance, it's a criminal matter and the police force will deal with the matter seriously." The threshold for uniformed officers to join the CID may also be lowered to two years' experience from three, provided officers with potential have completed a course in criminal investigation. The prerequisite of having completed training in the Police Tactical Unit will be lifted. Uniformed officers may be transferred to the department temporarily when some CID officers are on leave. There are 5,519 CID officers, about 100 less than the ideal number. Currently, policemen have special allowances of from HK$180 to HK$2,034 a month. But the allowance of a CID officer in detective grade is only HK$180 a month, the lowest among policemen on special duties. It is HK$678 for a police dog handler, for example, and HK$2,034 for a Special Duties Unit diver. Wong Ching, chairman of the Junior Police Officers' Association, believes the proposals may have the desired effect of lifting morale. STAFF REPORTER