Apart from being a career which offers an exciting and challenging livelihood, a police officer's duties are varied because of the many specialty units within the Hong Kong Police Force.
The Police Tactical Unit, or the PTU as it is more commonly known, is one such unit. Best known by the trademark blue beret, the PTU is an elite squad which is tactically trained to deal with riotous or chaotic situations.
It consists of 12 companies each with 170 officers. In all, about 2,200 officers are required each year to perform 12 months of PTU duties before going back to their regular units.
During their year in the PTU, constables spend three months training followed by three months field patrol detachment working at the border on anti-illegal immigrant (II) activities.
They then have a month's duties on the Quick Reaction Force followed by a four-month attachment to a regional company. Sergeants and above also receive one month's cadre training prior to the constables' training.
Grace Leung, the PTU's first female chief inspector, said the unit was open to the following categories: constables with a least a year's experience after passing out of the police training school; sergeants with at least 12 months in rank; inspectors with at least 18 months in rank; and chief inspectors and superintendents after promotion to that rank.