Police chiefs have rejected claims low morale is linked to the recent slump in the number of crimes solved.
A spokesman said the rise in crime and the fall in detection rates was not a reflection of poor morale.
The increase in crime last year was related to the economic downturn that led to a surge in property crimes, such as criminal damage and criminal intimidation involving illegal debt collection.
It was difficult to detect such crimes because there were usually no witnesses in such cases, he said.
'The director of operations [senior assistant commissioner Dick Lee Ming-kwai], who is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day policing of Hong Kong, has been going around to discuss with frontline commanders ways to further improve law and order within their respective districts,' he said.
According to a confidential document seen by the South China Morning Post, poor police morale has been identified as a factor behind a 42.5 per cent drop in solved crime.
