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SCMP Reporter

The fourth police officer to collapse while training in the past week has prompted calls for an easing of the gruelling routines.

 Constable Wong King-hang, 20, fainted after 45 minutes of circuit training at 9 am yesterday morning at the Police Tactical Unit in Fanling.

 He collapsed during the same fitness programme Superintendent Wong Wing-kei, 39, had been participating in when he died of a suspected heart attack last Saturday.

 Constable Wong - a policeman since October 1996 - was spotted by two other trainees on the point of collapse. He was led to the barracks where he fainted before being taken by ambulance to Fanling Hospital.

 He was transferred to Nethersole Hospital and later discharged.

 Police said the constable was a new recruit to the programme, and had been at the Fanling training school since last month.

 On Thursday, another recruit, Yu Ki-ming, 22, was also taken to hospital, it emerged yesterday.

 The Tactical Unit's training programme is renowned for its toughness.

 Recruit Yu injured his knee during internal security training and was taken to the Prince of Wales Hospital, from which he was later discharged.

  On Thursday, woman police recruit Wong Wai-han, 20, collapsed after completing a two-hour fitness test at the Police Training School in Wong Chuk Hang. She was discharged from hospital yesterday morning.

 Democrat security spokesman James To Kun-sun said officers had told him general fitness levels had deteriorated in recent years.

 Events showed training had to match fitness levels, he said. 'We do not want to lower standards, but there should be a gradual increase in what is demanded instead of starting at a high level.'  Training head Superintendent Charles Alison said training was under review following Saturday's fatal accident. An officer from the Police Training School had been present since Monday to examine procedures.

 'Obviously [recent events] worry us . . . but we need to make recruits physically fit.' All officers underwent stringent medical tests before being allowed to start the programme, he added.

 Superintendent Wong's funeral will be held today at the Po Fuk Memorial Funeral Parlour, Sha Tin.



Call to ease tough training after fourth police casualty in a week