Gaps in top police ranks ruled out

THERE will be no gaps in the police force despite a survey showing half its top commanders may quit before 1997, a senior government official said yesterday.

Secretary for Security, Peter Lai Hing-ling, said there were enough qualified officers to be promoted to the senior ranks.

And he insisted that the Government was not worried about the situation.

The 11 per cent of officers above the rank of inspector who are undecided about serving after the handover is similar to the figure for civil servants, he said.

'One should not think that all of them will leave the force before the transition,' said Mr Lai. He said the survey showed police, like the public, were also concerned about the future after 1997.

'There is no secret that the people of Hong Kong have some concerns about what will happen after 1997,' he added.