He was certified dead at the Fanling Hospital at 12.20 pm.

The cause of death is still being investigated but is believed to be a heart attack.

The death was the third in three years to happen during or shortly after police training exercises, and came less than a week after Wong was promoted.

Director of Operations Benny Ng Ching-kwok said Wong had shown no sign of pain or discomfort during the training, which involved exercises to improve physical strength.

'There were no problems during the training but he felt unwell afterwards,' Mr Ng said.

'He was treated by a qualified first aid team on the spot and was admitted to the hospital. Unfortunately, he was certified dead at 12.20 pm,' Mr Ng said.

Wong had passed the physical and medical tests held before officers were allowed to take part in the training.

'We will review in detail the arrangement of the training and seek experts' advice for improvements if there are any problems,' Mr Ng said.

In July 1995, a 26-year-old constable died in anti-riot training. In August last year, a 27-year-old constable died after jogging for 10 minutes.

Wong joined the force in 1980 and was promoted to superintendent in the Police Tactical Unit last Monday.

He was previously with the New Territories North crime squad unit.