Commissioner of Correctional Services Yau Chi-chiu officiated at a graduation parade for officers who have completed their training with the Correctional Services Department.
Twenty-three Officers and 85 Assistant Officers II participated in the parade, Mr Yau's last before retirement, at the department’s Staff Training Institute in Stanley.
Throughout his 37 years of service, Mr Yau said he has witnessed his colleagues’ incessant efforts to ensure the safety of those in custody and their rehabilitation.
He added there have been no riots or disturbances in facilities since 2000 and no successful escapes since 2008.
The department provides a wide range of services, including counselling, education and more than 40 types of vocational training, to help reintegrate people in custody back into society upon release.
Mr Yau said the recidivism rate decreased from 39.9% in 2000 to 25.9% in 2014 while the department’s work on rehabilitation and community education helped save social costs amounting to $74.3 billion in the past five years.
