PWSC(1999-2000)36

For discussion
on 2 June 1999

ITEM FOR PUBLIC WORKS SUBCOMMITTEE
OF FINANCE COMMITTEE

HEAD 703 - BUILDINGS
Law and Order - Police
229LP - Provision of a tactical training complex at the Police Training School
    Members are invited to recommend to Finance Committee the upgrading of 229LP to Category A at an estimated cost of $161.2illion in money-of-the-day prices for the construction of a tactical training complex at the Police Training School.
PROBLEM

There are insufficient tactical training facilities for the Hong Kong Police Force (the Force) to provide effective tactical training to new recruits.

PROPOSAL

2. The Director of Architectural Services (D Arch S), with the support of the Secretary for Security, proposes to upgrade 229LP to Category A at an estimated cost of $161.2illion in money-of-the-day (MOD) prices for the construction of an indoor tactical training complex at the Police Training School (PTS) at Ocean Park Road, Wong Chuk Hang.

PROJECT SCOPE AND NATURE

3. The proposed tactical training complex, with an estimated gross floor area of 6 655 square metres, comprises a two-storey concrete structure covering a site area of about 3 500 square metres on the existing football pitch at PTS. It will house a tactical training area resembling typical streets and buildings in Hong Kong with various observation points and a control room for monitoring exercises in progress and observing trainees' performance. The proposed facilities will be specially designed to create realistic scenarios replicating common situations faced by Police officers when they are performing duties in vehicles, motor cycles or on foot patrol during the day and at night time. There will also be briefing and debriefing areas, classrooms, store rooms and staff offices. The entire complex will be equipped with acoustic insulation materials/equipment to suppress noise. The following special features will be provided -

  1. construction items

    1. mock-up premises including residential flats, shops, MTR stations and restaurants;

    2. portable partitions and mock-up street fixtures that can be interchanged to re-arrange scenarios in order to cater for changes in training objectives and tactics and to provide training facilities to a number of sections at the same time; and

    3. covered staircases, lift lobbies and landings to facilitate training on tactical approach and search techniques;

  2. equipment and installations -
    1. wireless controlled pop-up targets;

    2. adjustable lighting;

    3. broadcasting facilities for noise simulation; and

    4. closed circuit television system and video recording facilities to facilitate instructors to observe and review trainees' performance.
    JUSTIFICATIONS

    4. Provision of proper firearms and tactical training to all Police officers is essential because -

    1. it enhances the capability of Police officers in controlling a given situation during operations, such as approaching and dealing with armed/dangerous suspects on the street, in vehicles and buildings, and cordoning and searching of crime scenes involving firearms. Such training will enable them to carry out their duties more effectively;

    2. it will enable a Police officer to better control a crime situation and reduce the number of situations where he/she is required to draw weapons or shoot. Thus the likelihood of causing unnecessary injuries, death and damage is minimised. The number of Police Open Fire (POF) Cases between 1990 and 1998 are as follows (for criminal cases which excludes the use of chemical mace) are set out below -

      199019911992199319941995199619971998
      31283027 1714974

      In 1998, there were six culprit open fire cases in which 13 shots were fired. There were four POF cases with only nine rounds fired. No bystanders were shot or injured by Police officers. This gives a positive indication on the importance of firearms and tactical training;

    3. we need to ensure the proficiency of Police officers in handling cases involving POF or the culprits open fire as such situations are always subject to critical examination during judicial proceedings; and

    4. adequate and proper training is essential for the Force to build up its professionalism and to win the public's confidence and support.
5. Currently, there is a lack of tactical training facilities for the Force. At present, Police officers can only conduct tactical training at the former military close quarter battle range at Castle Peak on a temporary basis. This facility was specifically designed for military training. It is not suitable for training Police officers to deal with the everyday situations they encounter on Hong Kong's streets. Besides, the location of the close quarter battle range at Castle Peak is remote for conducting training for new recruits who attend residential training at PTS.

6. As a stopgap measure, the Force converted the squash complex at PTS, which included the erection of wooden partitions in the squash court as well as in the viewing gallery, etc., in 1994 to simulate the inside of a building on an ad hoc basis and used it as a temporary training ground for a 50-hour tactical training programme. Due to space constraints, these temporary facilities do not provide an environment with sufficient flexibility and reality and have adversely affected the quality of tactical training provided.

7. With the proposed training facility, PTS can provide tactical training for about 2 000 Constable recruits and 200 Inspector recruits annually. To maximise its usage, the new training complex will also be used to provide training for about 2 000 officers a year for attending continuation and promotion courses and, wherever possible, to other Police formations. The training will include tactical use of force and firearms, tactics in dealing with armed or dangerous suspects, tactical approach to dealing with suspects on streets, inside vehicles and buildings, and the cordoning and searching of premises and urban locations.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

8. We estimate the capital cost of the project to be $161.2illion in MOD prices (see paragraph 10 below), made up as follows -

$ million
(a) Raft slab foundation8.1
(b) Building70.1
(c) Building services29.7
(d) Drainage and external works6.4
(e) Furniture and equipment16.3
(f) Consultants' fees for contract administration5.9
(g) Contingencies11.4
______
Sub-total147.9(at December
1998 prices)
(h) Provision for price adjustment13.3
______
Total161.2(in MOD prices)
______

A breakdown by man months of the estimate for consultants' fees is at the Enclosure.

9. The construction floor area of 229LP is about 7 150 square metres. The complex is designed to meet the specialised nature of tactical training and create realistic internal and external scenarios for both day and night time environments. The construction unit cost, represented by building and building services costs, is $13,958 per square metre at December 1998 prices. We consider this cost reasonable.

10. Subject to approval, we will phase the expenditure as follows -

Year$ million
(Dec 1998)
Price
adjustment
factor
$ million
(MOD)
1999 - 20003.81.026253.9
2000 - 200160.91.0621764.7
2001 - 200254.31.0993459.7
2002 - 200328.91.1378232.9
____________
147.9161.2
____________

11. We derived the MOD estimates on the basis of the Government's latest forecast of trend labour and construction prices for the period 1999 to 2003. We will tender the works under a fixed-price lump-sum contract because we can clearly define the scope of works in advance, leaving little room for uncertainty.

12. We estimate the additional annually recurrent expenditure for the project to be $3.88illion which includes staff cost, maintenance, utilities and ammunition.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION

13. We consulted the Southern Provisional District Board in June 1998. Members supported the project.

14. We have circulated a paper to the LegCo Panel on Security and other LegCo Members. We arranged a site visit for interested LegCo Members to PTS on 26 January 1999 and gave a presentation on the project. Members who attended the visit were supportive. We arranged a second visit on 20 April 1999 for those Members who could not attend the visit on 26 January 1999. Again, Members expressed support for the project.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

15. The consultants engaged by D'Arch'S completed a Preliminary Environmental Review (PER) in February 1996. The Director of Environmental Protection vetted the PER and concluded that no Environmental Impact Assessment would be necessary. We will provide acoustic insulation and silencing equipment at source to mitigate noise pollution caused by the activities at the complex. We will control noise, dust and site run-off nuisances during construction through the implementation of mitigation measures in the relevant contract.

LAND ACQUISITION

16. The project does not require land acquisition.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

17. Firearms and tactical training is a very important aspect of training for Police officers. The Force has the responsibility to provide proper training for its officers to enable them to behave in a correct manner during operations. Failure to do so may result in causing unnecessary injuries and death to either officers or members of the public. Police firearms and tactical training covers three main areas; fundamentals, decision making and tactics. Details of each area are set out below -

ContentTypes of venues required
FundamentalsTechnical knowledge, safe/proper handling of firearms, marksmanship training, etc. Conventional ranges
Decision makingWhen to use firearms, selection of targets, number of shots, etc.Mini ranges
TacticsHow to approach a crime scene, use of available cover, working in pairs/group in an armed confrontation, etc.Tactical training facilities

18. Tactical training was previously confined to officers in specialist units, such as the Police Tactical Units, Emergency Units and Crime Units. In view of the increased use of high-powered firearms by criminals in the early 1990's, the Force Committee on Firearms Policy formed a working group in 1992 to review tactical training for the Force. The review concluded that there was a genuine need for all new recruits to receive tactical training. Accordingly, tactical training was incorporated into the training programme for all new recruits at PTS in 1994. However, given the lack of purpose built training facilities, the squash complex at PTS has been converted as a stopgap measure (paragraph 6 above refers).

19. We upgraded 229LP to Category B in September 1996. We engaged consultants to prepare the outline schematic proposals, detailed design and contract documentation for the project at an estimated cost of $7.36 million. We charged this amount to the block allocation Subhead 3100GX "Project feasibility studies, minor investigations and consultants' fees for items in Category D of the Public Works Programme" in June 1997. We plan to start construction work in November 1999 for completion in May 2001.

--------------------------------------

Security Bureau
May 1999

(PWSC0110/WIN4)

Enclosure to PWSC(1999-2000)36

229LP - Provision of a Tactical Training Complex at the Police Training School
DETAILS OF CONSULTANTS' FEES

Breakdown of estimates for consultants' fees

Consultants' staff costs Estimated
man
months
Average
MPS*
salary
point
Multiplier
factor
Estimated
fee
($ million)
Contract administration
(a) Architectural discipline Professional
Technical
14.6
19.8
40
16
2.4
2.4
2.2
1.0
(b) Quantity surveying discipline Professional
Technical
8.6
13.9
40
16
2.4
2.4
1.3
0.7
(c) Structural engineering discipline Professional
Technical
3.3
4.0
40
16
2.4
2.4
0.5
0.2
_____
Total5.9
_____

* MPS = Master Pay Scale

Notes

1. A multiplier factor of 2.4 is applied to the average MPS point to arrive at the full staff costs including the consultants' overheads and profit, as the staff will be employed in the consultants' offices. (At 1.4.1998, MPS Pt. 40 = $62,780 p.m. and MPS pt. 16 = $21,010 p.m.).

2. The consultants' fees for work during the construction stage formed an optional part of the lump sum price quoted by the consultants selected to carry out the outline schematic proposal, detailed design etc. mentioned in paragraph 19 of the paper. Subject to the upgrading of 229LP to Category A, the Director of Architectural Services will direct the necessary works to be carried out.

(PWSC0110/WIN4)