КК
HowG RONG
MAY 15th '73
STANDARD.
War declared
won violent
crime in HK
HONGKONG declared war on crime yesterday as the massive publicity plate of the "Fight Violent Crime Compaign") was launched.
A broken dagger, coloured red on a black background
To symbolise
the destruction of terror, anarchy and violence, will appear on posters, in the press and on television to announce the start of the campaign the first of its kind in the Colony.
an
The Governor, Sir Murry MacLehose. who called Hongkong's cument crime wave "the most worrying aspect of life in Hongkong" at unprecedentedly informal gathering of community leaders and pressmen last Friday, was echoed yesterday by the campaign's director, Mr Jack Cater.
Mr Cater stressed that the campaign was starting at "the
14/
·by·
Edward Halley
carliest possible time."
The "steering committee' of the campaign answered questions from the press, many of which had been posed at Friday's briefing.
The emphasis in the publicity campaign, which will run til June 18, the start of the "campaign proper," will be on how the public can help fight crime.
The main points raised at both Friday's briefing and yesterday's conference were.
The cost of the campaign will be about $6 million. A "similar figure" will be spent during the rest of the year. bringing the total to about $12 million, according to Mr Cater.
Solicitor General Mr Garth Thomton dealt with many questions on the government's fighterime laws.
ROBBERIES
He described the decentralisation of court work as the answer to "a practical problem" but pointed out that about two thirds of robberies and burglary cases were already being handled by magistracies.
At the beginning of this year, he said, there were 30 cases pending at the Supreme Court and at the end of March the figure had reached 41. This was despite the recruitment of two "extra" judges,
On the now limitations on Legal Aid, Mr Thomton said 'that it had "always been the government's policy to extend' it. Asked if summary trials would facilitate conviction he replied: "Certainly not”.
The hanging of Tsoi Kowk-cheung, whose petition is still being considered was categorically denied as having any connection with the campaign. Mr Cater, asked if there was a connection, replied: "Absolutely not" and that the case was "taken on its merits".
This followed a statement on the hanging by the Governor at Friday's meeting. Sir Murray was adamant that the decision to sentence Tsoi to death was an independent
one.
Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs Mr J.M. Rowland spoke on Mutual Aid Committees. He called the MAC a "Hongkong invention" that would enable groups of people living OI working close to each other to "organise mutual security". He said that about 5,000 MACS would be formed during the «next nine monüis.