Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip today attended the Correctional Services Department's passing-out parade at its Staff Training Institute in Stanley to mark the graduation of 22 Officers and 104 Assistant Officers II.

Speaking at the parade, Mr Nip said the department has been guarding the last element of Hong Kong's criminal justice system for 100 years. Correctional officers are dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure custodial environment and have been proactively making efforts to help rehabilitate people in custody.

He commended the department for arranging for more than 200 officers to be special constables to assist in stopping violence and curbing disorder during the social unrest and violent incidents in 2019.

It also promptly arranged for more than 2,500 off-duty and retired staff members to engage in mask production on a voluntary basis to ramp up output to maintain the normal functioning of society and public services during the outbreak of COVID-19 last year.

Additionally, the department participated in restriction-testing declaration operations in specified restricted areas and paid attention to the anti-epidemic work in correctional institutions to prevent the spread of the virus.

It has also planned to arrange vaccinations for people in custody on a voluntary basis in early July, Mr Nip noted.

With many people being detained in correctional institutions due to riot-related offences, the number of remands has reached a new high in nearly a decade.

In view of the unprecedented challenges faced by the department, Mr Nip told graduates that he is confident that they will be able to rise to the challenges and overcome all difficulties to uphold the department's mission and values.

Furthermore, the department has allocated considerable resources in recent years to improve staff welfare in order to recruit and retain staff and to enhance the professionalism of correctional work and the sense of belonging among officers, he added.

Mr Nip pointed out that graduates should have gained a clear understanding of their responsibilities to uphold the Basic Law, bear allegiance and be responsible to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, and be dedicated to their duties.

He expressed the hope that they will uphold the core values of the civil service, support the Government and make concerted efforts to maintain Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.