22-02-2012
Distinguished Alumni from Disciplinary Forces Share Invaluable Experience and Success Stories
Event Information
Working in the disciplinary forces of the HKSAR Government has long been considered a highly sought-after career as it offers good pay and benefits. On 22 February 2012, three distinguished alumni, Mr. Terence Lam Kwok-leung (Mathematical Science), Assistant Commissioner (Operations), Correctional Services Department, HKSAR Government; Mr. Ricky Poon Suet-man (English), former Senior Superintendent, Hong Kong Police Force, Mr. Roger Tai Hung-kin (Business Administration), Chief Inspector, Hong Kong Police Force, HKSAR Government, and Ms. Yvonne Leung Yuk-ting (Communication), Woman Detective Inspector, Hong Kong Police Force, HKSAR Government, as the moderator of the Forum came back to HKBU to share with students why they joined the Police Force and some of the unforgettable moments in their careers.
Alumnus Mr. Terence Lam Kwok-leung advised students not to only focus on salary when choosing a job. He stressed that it's important to understand one's strengths and weaknesses before choosing a career. For example, people who are self-disciplined and dedicated to helping others would be suited to serving in the disciplinary forces.
In the 1970s when there was an influx of Vietnam refugees, Mr. Terence Lam Kwok-leung led a team to manage the refugees and they overcame many challenges. He also shared that due to the public's high expectations of civil servants, he does feel some stress during work. Yet, he never gives up and insists on getting the job done.
Now retired from the Police Force, Alumnus Mr. Ricky Poon Suet-man used one simple sentence to describe his career – "No blame and no regrets". Born to a farming family, Ricky said that he had a tough childhood. While studying at the Hong Kong Baptist College, he had to take up three part-time jobs. He worked extremely hard until one day his doctor advised him to stop or his health would suffer. But the difficult times had toughened Ricky up.
With a staff of over 3,000, the Hong Kong Police Force is currently the largest department in the civil service. Ricky said he enjoyed every moment of his job because in his team, every member could take up different positions according to their fortes.
Although Alumnus Mr. Roger Tai Hung-kin had dreamt of becoming a policeman since childhood, he did not start his career in the Hong Kong Police Force until much later.
After the Garley Building fire in 1996, Roger was assigned to the Disaster Victims Identification Unit where he was responsible for verifying the identities of a large number of corpses. He used this as an example of the work of the Police and asked students to reflect on whether they were prepared to serve people in these adverse situations.
