THE Commissioner of Police, Mr Li Kwan-ha, is considering strengthening the police welfare branch in the light of the growing number of suicides in the force, said the Secretary for Security, Mr Alastair Asprey.
Last year, nine officers killed themselves, three times the number in both 1991 and 1990.
Although the figure was greater than for other disciplinary forces departments, Mr Asprey said it was unfair to make comparisons with so few cases.
Three Fire Services Department officers, one Correctional Services Department officer and one Customs and Excise Department officer have committed suicide in the past three years. No suicides have been reported by the Immigration Department.
Mr Asprey admitted that the rate was ''slightly higher'' than the general suicide rate, which stood at 0.012 per cent, but he said the figures were too crude to draw a comparison since they did not reveal age, sex and education.
Mr Asprey said the stressful nature of the job, physical illness and financial difficulties could account for the high suicide rate.
