NCJ Number
212223
Journal
International Criminal Justice Review Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: May 2005 Pages: 38-57
Date Published
May 2005
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the change of the Hong Kong Police (HKP) and related issues during Hong Kong’s transition from British colonial rule to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
Abstract
After 156 years of British colonial rule, Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997. This paper uses the institutional perspective to study how the Hong Kong Police (HKP) responded to changes in its institutional environment. It argues that the HKP’s paramilitary traditions greatly constrained changes. The paramilitary traditions of the HKP were institutionalized when it was a police force on which the colonial regime relied for public order management. When the customer-based public service reform was launched, the HKP’s paramilitary rituals and practices undermined the prospect of a service culture. It is concluded that the change in the HKP’s environment from a British colony to a Chinese special administrative region has not had a significant impact in altering these institutionalized values. This institutional perspective, as applied to the HKP illustrates how the institutional environment affects the practices and behaviors of a major police organization and its responses to external challenges. References