Performance pledge: Deputy Police Commissioner Gordon Fung says savings are being achieved without impairing Police services.

Taxpayers have saved another $296 million thanks to Police efforts to cut costs, Deputy Commissioner for Management Gordon Fung says, adding the savings have come without impairing Police services.

The figure, for the 2005-06 financial year, brings the force's total savings under the Government's efficiency savings programme since 2003-04 to $820 million.

"The overriding consideration for the force is to minimise any impact the savings may create," Mr Fung said.

In implementing the measures, Mr Fung said Police apply the "Three Rs Principal", namely restructuring, reprioritising and re-engineering.

"We have restructured some units, amalgamated stations, pooled resources, streamlined work procedures or out-sourced services, reset our priorities to achieve maximum efficiency and cost effectiveness, and introduced new technologies," he said.

As a result of this year's measures, 636 disciplined and civilian posts have been deleted, including:

* 115 posts as a result of streamlining Border District enforcement sub-units;

* 42 posts from contracting out security and reception duties;

* 49 posts from re-engineering and civilianisation of training services;

* 33 posts from the centralisation of Complaints Against Police Offices and the amalgamation of Lei Muk Shu and Tsuen Wan Divisions;

* 125 posts from the Voluntary Retirement II scheme; and,

* 28 posts from the pooling of secretarial posts in Regional and Police Headquarters formations.

No easy task

Mr Fung said it was not easy for Police to save $820 million in three years without undue impact on policing and efficiency.

"We are tightening our belt at a time when public aspirations keep rising and our workload keeps increasing. For example, the public order policing operation for the World Trade Organisation's Sixth Ministerial Conference at the end of this year will be just one of the additional major challenges of 2005."

Mr Fung said he is proud the force's commitments under the efficiency savings programme have not compromised service quality.

"To their credit, everybody in the force is working hard to get the job done well, and pleasingly we saw a lower crime rate last year. The programme has also provided us with an opportunity to identify areas for improvement and to find ways to enhance our efficiency and cost effectiveness. As a result, we are doing more with less," he said.

Looking to the future, Mr Fung foresees it will be increasingly difficult for the force to meet more savings commitments without some impact on services to the public.

"Our workload is bound to get heavier as the public continue to expect us to do more and to do it better. Under these circumstances, I hope that all of us will pitch in and continue to find ways to enhance our efficiency and effectiveness," he said.