Hong Kong police will stick with traditional British foot drills, chief says, although PLA is training officers on Chinese-style marching for handover events next year
- Police chief Chris Tang says ‘at the moment we do not have plans to change our marching style’
- Pictures emerged on Monday of PLA soldiers in olive green uniforms giving instructions at Hong Kong Police College’s parade ground
Traditional British foot drills will remain the standard style for Hong Kong’s 33,000-strong police force, according to its chief, although the People’s Liberation Army has for the first time been teaching officers Chinese-style marching for some ceremonies next year.
The training started on Monday with pictures emerging of PLA soldiers in olive green uniforms giving instructions at Hong Kong Police College’s parade ground in Wong Chuk Hang on the Chinese military’s “goose-stepping” style of ceremonial marching.
A government source said about 10 soldiers from the PLA’s Hong Kong Garrison Honour Guard Battalion were invited to provide two weeks of training to selected officers, with members of other disciplined services, such as the customs and immigration departments, also joining the lessons.
“The training is to beef up officers’ knowledge and skills so that police could for the first time perform Chinese-style marching parade in next year’s 25th handover anniversary celebrations,” the insider said. “Police have no plan to switch from our British marching style at the moment.”
Currently, each police officer must undergo up to 36 weeks of college training with repeated foot drills on the parade ground to build up a sense of consciousness, self-discipline and team spirit.