The new police chief has promised more resources to help criminal investigators cope with their heavy workload as he tries to revive hard-hit morale.
Andy Tsang Wai-hung (pictured) said he understood that a shortage of manpower had increased workloads and affected morale, particularly for inspectors who often had to work overtime to finish investigations.
'We can't keep asking our colleagues to do us favours by working overtime,' he said. 'Such a practice is not sustainable.'
The new police commissioner promised a slew of measures to improve the situation.
Before taking the top post this month, Tsang acknowledged the tremendous pressures facing frontline criminal investigators. But he dismissed union claims that many police officers were unwilling to become detectives because of the heavy workload.
The death of a 39-year-old detective inspector from a stroke early this month triggered a debate as many believed it was caused by excessive work pressure. The incident badly affected morale.
Unions used the incident to point to a shortage of officers in the Criminal Investigation Department. The dead inspector was being transferred to CID in spite of warnings that his health was not up to the job.
