Commissioner shares secrets of bridging gap with his officers
Police chief Dick Lee Ming-kwai may be head of a 27,000-strong force, but he still finds time to meet the needs of his frontline officers
Mr Lee, 53, says he has to keep track of the frontline operation in order to manage the force well.
'You have to understand your core business. If you know nothing about the day-to-day policing work, you are not qualified to be a police commissioner. I believe that no matter how high you climb, you can't lose track of frontline work,' says Mr Lee, who sometimes joins overnight anti-crime operations.
The commissioner, who took up his post last December, believes joining frontline operations improves communication with his officers. A change of attitude and good communication skills are the secret to bridging the gap with his 'troops', he says.
'You can't think that you're high above everyone because you're the commissioner. And you have to talk the officers' language - don't use management jargon or official terms.'
Mr Lee says staying calm in the face of media or public criticism is another important skill a commissioner has to master.
