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Ng Kang-chung

Hong Kong’s police chief has defended a controversial government reform of the appraisal system that will deny a pay rise to the bottom 5 per cent of performers, despite concerns raised by frontline officers.
Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said on Saturday that management would step up efforts to explain the new policy to staff through various internal channels.
“As the head of the department, I support the reform,” Chow said.
“I believe our colleagues will agree that there should be a fair appraisal system and that they will also understand if their performances are not up to standard, or do not deserve a pay rise, that should be properly reflected.
“It is common consensus among the colleagues.”
He added that he appreciated the concerns raised by staff and that management would keep explaining the new policy.
At the centre of the issue is the coming civil service appraisal reform, part of a package of initiatives announced by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in his policy address last year to improve governance efficiency.
Under the framework to be adopted in October, 5 per cent of civil servants whose performances are deemed the poorest among their peers will have their annual salary increments withheld.
But the more than 20,000-strong Junior Police Officers’ Association said the system was unfair.
The association said last month that some officers had expressed concerns the new system could “breed a shoe-shining culture”.
The move could also turn assessments into a “test of a staff member’s personal connections with his supervisors”, the union said.
Chow on Saturday dismissed the worries, stressing: “I have full confidence in my colleagues that they will assess our officers in a fair manner so as to push the force to further improve.”

Chow also noted that the government had said the 5 per cent was not a “rigid” target that had to be met and the force’s management had set up an internal platform to let officers raise concerns or views.
“Through our explanations, I believe they will understand more about the rationale behind the policy and how it is to be implemented,” Chow added.
Meanwhile, regarding an ongoing investigation into an embryo samples mix-up case at a human reproductive medical centre, the police commissioner said officers had not yet found any criminal elements involved.
The clinic, Heal Fertility, was ordered to suspend most of its services earlier this week after it came to light that wrong embryo samples had been sent to a laboratory for genetic testing. The samples did not match the stated parents’ DNA.
He said officers had visited the centre to understand the procedures involved in the case and had met staff and those in charge of the clinic.
“For the time being, we do not see any criminal element involved,” Chow said, adding that the investigation was still under way.


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Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Commissioner of Police Joe Chow pledges more communication on new policy as officers warn of ‘shoe-shining culture’


Commissioner of Police Joe Chow pledges more communication on new policy as officers warn of ‘shoe-shining culture’.


Salaries

Joe Chow Yat-ming

John Lee

Hong Kong police chief defends plan to deny pay rises to bottom 5% of performers

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Commissioner of Police Joe Chow pledges more communication on new policy as officers warn of ‘shoe-shining culture’

Commissioner of Police Joe Chow pledges more communication on new policy as officers warn of ‘shoe-shining culture’