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Savings to be ploughed back

SAVINGS identified in a review of police management would be ploughed back into the force to meet proven needs elsewhere in the force, Secretary for Security Mr Alistair Asprey said yesterday.

Speaking in the Budget debate in the Legislative Council, Mr Asprey said the review was not a money-saving exercise, but meant to maximise the efficiency of the force.

He promised the money saved from the review would be used to address other needs within the force.

The review focused on the manpower distribution of the 27,000-strong force, as about 86 per cent of the force's estimated expenditure of $7.3 billion went on wages.

Mr Asprey said part of the review by an outside consultant on the top management structure had been completed while another part relating to manning and force establishment was continuing.

''We will be looking critically at whether all the tasks the force is doing should properly be done by police officers and, if so, whether there are better or more efficient ways of doing this work,'' he said.

He hoped the review would be finished by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Mr Asprey said the Government would speed up building quarters for married junior police officers.

Most married police officers would be provided with housing within three years, he said.

''Housing is a major factor in retaining staff and reducing wastage,'' he said.

About 1,200 units were expected to be completed in the next three years, on top of the 410 units completed over the past year.

Despite the nominal decrease in expenditure of the force when compared to last year, Mr Asprey reiterated that overall expenditure showed a real increase of over four per cent.

He said expenditure on police officers deployed on law and order duties would increase by five per cent in real terms.

''The same is true of resources allocated to the force for gathering intelligence,'' he said.

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