Raising civil servants’ awareness of the need to safeguard national security is the main focus of Hong Kong’s new training school dedicated to government workers, its inaugural head has said, stressing that anyone who fails their assessment “must face the consequence”. At Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony of the Civil Service College, Oscar Kwok Yam-shu, who was deputy commissioner of police before he retired in April, also said he might consider adopting a police-style training if it could steer the civic service to become a “highly efficient” team. “The mentality is of the utmost importance. On top of the understanding and recognition of national security, civil servants should also develop an awareness of safeguarding national security - this is what we will attach great importance to,” Kwok told the press. The college, established last December, has used the North Point Government Offices as its temporary campus until the construction of its long-term accommodation in Kwun Tong is expected to be completed in 2026 the earliest. The 57-year-old head, who takes up the role on July 5, said “enormous resources” would be spent to achieve the academy’s long-term goals, which also included bolstering awareness of the constitutional order and the sense of commitment in serving the people amid an international situation he regarded as “complicated and sometimes hostile”. “There should be standard-based assessments to come with all training. Anyone who fails to meet the standards must bear the consequences,” said Kwok, also former head of the Hong Kong Police College’s foundation training centre. Without going into details, he said he and his team would formulate assessments that “meet society’s expectation”. Asked if he would adopt a police-style training in the college, he said: “What happened in society over the past few years, including the Covid-19 epidemic, proved the unique, desirable qualities that police and disciplinary forces have possessed. Any method that would make our civil service a highly efficient and dedicated team is worth exploring.” Is it time to revamp how pay rises for Hong Kong’s civil servants are determined? Kwok, who joined the police force as an inspector in 1990, rose through the ranks to become a deputy commissioner in 2019. He retired in April this year and is expected to earn about HK$270,000 (US$34,400) a month in his new role. Kwok said he believed he was recruited “not only because of his police experience”, but also his personal qualities which were regarded as merits in laying a foundation in the development of the academy’s strategies and curriculum. The establishment of the academy was a major undertaking by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor when she took office in 2017. The Kwun Tong site for the college was identified the following year for the project, which also included social welfare facilities. Hong Kong civil servants brace for shake-up under John Lee’s reform Giving her speech at Thursday’s ceremony, Lam said: “This is my 42nd year working in the government. It has always been my dream to build an academy which provides a sense of belonging for civil servants.” The incumbent leader, who steps down at the end of this month, said she expected the academy would include “inspirational curriculums” to enhance colleagues’ sense of duty to serve the people, and that she could come back one day to share her experience as a retired civil servant. Leung Chau-ting, chairman of the Federation of Civil Service Unions, called for more clarity on the consequences workers could face if they failed the new assessments to allay concerns among civil servants. “Compulsory tests on the national security law will be introduced [for new recruits] soon. What else do you need from us? Are all levels of civil servants required to get the training? Will we lose our job if we fail?” he said.