This Course Guide has been taken from the most recent presentation of the course. It would be useful for reference purposes but please note that there may be updates for the following presentation.
LESM A302
Public Order Management
Welcome to LESM A302 Public Order Management.
This Course Guide prepares you for studying LESM A302. After this introduction, which gives a general overview of the course and lists its aims and learning outcomes, there are sections on:
About the course
LESM A302 Public Order Management is a higher-level, five-credit course. This course is intended for students of the Law Enforcement and Security Management Programme, but should also be of interest to social science students who want to learn about governance, public administration, and the socio-political issues related to public order, including rights and obligations. Students from all the disciplined services will find this course of great practical relevance and interest.
This is an interdisciplinary course drawing on criminology, public administration, management studies, sociology and politics. The course tries to strike a careful balance between theory and practice.
Since the course is about public order management, for which the disciplined services are responsible, the first two units provide a brief discussion of the nature of the disciplined services in relation to the public, and the specific role played by the state in public order management. This is followed by examining the ways in which social changes have influenced the governance of crime and disorder in late modern society. Specific attention is given in the next unit to theories and strategies in protest policing. Finally, a look at the practical management of public order and security in relation to public interests concludes the course.
Course aims
The overall aim of the course is to help you to develop a sufficiently broad understanding of public order and security management in terms of both theoretical and practical issues, and to relate them to the Hong Kong context.
Course learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, you should be able to:
Course organization
The following table gives a general overview of the course structure.
| Unit | Title | Weeks |
| 1 | Theories and perspectives on public order management | 4 |
| 2 | The nature of the relationship between the disciplined services and the public | 3 |
| 3 | Social changes and issues in public order management | 3 |
| 4 | Approaches and practices in protest policing | 3 |
| 5 | Public order and public interests | 3 |
| TOTAL | 16 |
Course readings
Given the wide range of topics covered in this course, it's not possible to refer to just a single textbook. Selected articles will be given to you as supplementary readings throughout the course. Sometimes you will be referred to specific reference books if you wish to read more about a topic.
The following are useful titles that you may want to refer to during the course:
You can find some of these readings through the HKMU electronic library, and physical copies of some of these texts will be made available in the HKMU Library.
E-Library E-Reserve readings
You may be instructed to read articles in the E-Library E-Reserve. To read these items, go to the HKMU E-Library and click on E-Reserve. Log in, click Accept/Agree on the Copyright Restrictions page, fill in the Course Code box, and click Search.
Non-print media
You will also be given guidance at times to refer to electronic references. Appropriate online resources will be given in the study units. Because of the sometimes ephemeral nature of websites and addresses, however, for the most part these will be advisory rather than required reading.
Equipment required
Ideally, you should have access to a modern IT system giving you full access to the Internet and World Wide Web. The HKMU Computer Laboratory offers you this access.
Assignments
There are three assignments. Your marks on all three assignments will be used for your assessment. Your combined assignment marks will count for 50% of the total course mark.
Examination
At the end of the course, you are required to attend a final examination which tests your understanding of all the areas of study covered in the course. The examination will be a three-hour, closed-book written examination. It will count for 50% of your final course mark.
The following table summarizes the assessment requirements for LESM A302 Public Order Management.
| Assessment | Course area covered | Weighting |
| Assignment 1 | Unit 1 Theories and perspectives on public order management Unit 2 The nature of the relationship between the disciplined services and the public | 15% |
| Assignment 2 | Unit 3 Social changes and issues in public order management Unit 4 Approaches and practices in protest policing | 15% |
| Assignment 3 | Unit 5 Public order and public interests | 20% |
| Examination | 50% | |
| Total | 100% |
You must obtain a score of 40% in the continuous assessment component and a score of 40% on the final examination to pass the course; that is, you must pass both assessment components. The overall pass mark is 40% or above.
Tutors
Your HKMU tutor provides formal tutorials and is also available for telephone discussion, support, and tutorial guidance. He or she will also provide extensive feedback on your assignments.
Tutorials and Day Schools
There will be four two-hour tutorials and two two-hour day schools. Tutorials are designed to facilitate discussion of the units and the readings, while day schools offer you up-to-date perspectives on the key issues in public order management.
For details of tutorial and day school dates, please refer to the Presentation Schedule on the OLE.
LESM A302 Public Order Management is a higher-level, five-credit course that is part of the HKMU Law Enforcement and Security Management Programme. It is an interdisciplinary course that draws on criminology, public administration, management studies, sociology, and politics. The course tries to strike a careful balance between theory and practice.
Each of the course's five units focuses on a key aspect of public order management, and in all five units there is a strong focus on the roles and duties of the disciplined groups. Throughout the course, the practical management of public order and security is described by drawing on a number of case studies.
Specifically, the course will examine:
We hope you enjoy the course, and are able to apply the knowledge and skills you gain in this course to your professional work.
Good luck!
Dr Vincent Cheng is Assistant Professor at the School of Arts and Social Sciences, Hong Kong Metropolitan University. His research interest is in crime and punishment in the People’s Republic of China. His research expertise is on Chinese former drug detainees’ experiences of arrest, imprisonment, and post-release life. Vincent has taught at the University of Hong Kong and at Hong Kong Community College, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, on a variety of courses related to sociology and criminology. He has also been a tutor for LESM A302 Public Order Management.
