Lau Kit-fai's thinking was very sensible. Wong Bing Yiu's power base lay in the Police Force's Operations Department.
No matter what, he could not possibly cut the budget for police operations.
Quite the opposite: he hoped even more fervently to see the Police Force's operational faction grow stronger.
After all, the Police Force's Lee Faction had been the standard-bearer for the previous generation of the operational faction, while the Zhou Faction, which now seemed to be taking up that banner, had surpassed its predecessor.
If the current trend continued, the future leadership of the Police Force would essentially pass down among the Zhou Faction's core members.
After several successive Number Ones completed their terms, different factions might take turns leading the entire Police Force.
But traced back to their roots, the influence of the Lee Faction and the Zhou Faction would remain deeply entrenched.
Yet if Wong Bing Yiu took the initiative to cut the budget for police operations, he would undoubtedly be undermining his own foundations.
After all, operational personnel made up the vast majority of the more than thirty thousand Police Officers across Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Island Police Force's duty was to maintain law and order on Hong Kong Island and combat crime.
As a result, aside from personnel benefits and remuneration, the operational budget accounted for an enormous share of the Police Force's annual budget.
Whatever area suffered cuts, it would ultimately be closely tied to the Police Force's operational faction.
It would be one thing if their own boss failed to look out for his people after taking office, but he was even taking the initiative to cut their budget.
Faced with such a situation, the rank and file would inevitably become unsettled.
Wong Bing Yiu's credibility and support would gradually decline as well.