Tang: Challenging to find 2,500 recruits

The increase of manpower was part of the police's proposal for budget surging in this financial year, which stands at HK$25.8 billion (US$3.32 billion), up HK$2.2 billion from its previous year.

Explaining the budget hike, Tang said the new resources will cover payroll for proposed new hires in light of long-standing overtime of many officers during the social unrest.

Also, expenditures are planned for maintenance and renovation of police stations because such resources were used to handle the chaos last year.

"With more police officers, there will be little need for overtime work, and we can accordingly reduce the overtime allowance from HK$2.5 billion to HK$200 million to $300 million. During those days, most officers worked 15 hours instead of the normal nine-hour shift.

"With greater manpower, we can enhance patrolling in various districts. We can also strengthen the Police Tactical Unit for handling public events and emergencies. When there are not many public activities and emergencies, the PTU officers can be deployed to patrolling duties."

Some people from the opposition camp have doubted the police hiring goal, saying it might be too "optimistic". Tang, however, said such remarks are aimed at undermining police morale, but the police will not yield.

"I notice that lawbreakers, people who want to break the law, and those who condone the lawbreakers have used whatever means to target police and obstruct our annual pay raise. They have one and only one intent — to defeat police morale. I want to tell them that we police officers are very united and will rise to difficult occasions," Tang said.

The 2019-20 police pay adjustment, being part and parcel of the civil service pay-raise package, was passed last month only after filibustering by the opposition lawmakers. They demanded the police commissioner attend the Financial Committee meeting and also the committee have separate votes, but such unconventional demands were vetoed by the pro-establishment camp.

"It would be perfectly OK for me if it was the government policy for me to attend the FC meeting and talk about the pay raise," said Tang, adding he will accompany Security Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu and heads of other disciplined forces to answer questions on the new budget at the Financial Committee meeting next month.