Ho Kam Lung:I am preparing myself for my future role as a Correctional Services Officer

My name is Ho Kam Lung,
And I am a trainee officer in the Correctional Services Department.
My major reason for joining the CSD
was the variety of the duties.
Also, it's really meaningful to be able to
offer people a chance to build a new life
in a safe and confined environment.
When people return to society,
if they could contribute to public life in some way
I would be so delighted and gratified.

The CSD officer training consists of several major parts.
Drilling, fitness, legislation
and knowledge concerning daily practices.
Before joining the CSD as an officer,
I have to attend a 26-week training programme,
I am now in the 12th week.
During the past weeks of training
the most unforgettable moment came on the parade ground
when I led my colleagues marching neatly and properly
without a single mistake.
I was happy and proud!

I expected my CSD training to be very much
what the general public would expect.
I thought there would be some fitness training
and probably some training on human resource management.
But I realised after joining the CSD that
the training was actually very different.

Our main task is to guard prisoners.
It is a fresh and new experience
to learn how to communicate with prisoners.
Of course we work in a prison,
Which is a very unfamiliar environment for ordinary people,
and so the mock practice and scenario training
have provided me with valuable experience.

As a team leader
I had to lead my team members in search and blockade missions
and demonstrate my leadership skills.

I found it very difficult at first
to communicate effectively with team members.

I experienced both hardships and rewards
when I first joined the CSD.
At the start of the 26-week training,
I had no prior knowledge of
the procedures and jargon related to correctional services.
I had to rummage through books and documents,
consult my instructors and my colleagues,
all this on top of the strict discipline at the camp
and the rigorous fitness training.
It was indeed tiring and difficult at first.

But through exchanging ideas with people
from different backgrounds, I got the chance
to strengthen friendships and enhance co-operation.
I think my training has yielded twice the result,
and further enhanced my interest in correctional services.

For me, the most important qualification for a newcomer to CSD
is good communication skills.
This is because our daily responsibilities
cover not only files and computers
but also interpersonal communications,
both communicating with prisoners and colleagues
in order to get things done.
It takes good communication skills to work effectively.

I am going to prepare myself
for my future role as a Correctional Services Officer.
In my leisure time I will take some courses
to learn about social work and prisoner communication skills
because I lack these skills and knowledge.
I may also join courses provided by the department
and search the web to further equip myself
for better job performance.