Blitz will up crime figures
CRIME figures in Hongkong will go UP, not down, if the present crime-busting campaign is a success.
The main keynote of the massive campaign is to get people to report crime, which if successful will make the figures go up.
As Secretary for Information, and campaign committee chairman Jack Cater said at yesterday's launching press conference: "We are hoping that everyone will get into the habit of reporting crime when they see or hear of it.
"This is the main aim of the campaign."
Of course there is a lot more to the campaign than that, with an initial $6 million being spent on speeding up police communications, new equipment for the force and a big publicity -
drive.
It became apparent to the Press and community leaders who attended yesterday's conference that before long there would be noone in Hongkong who would not recognise the campaign's broken dagger symbol, or be heartily sick and tired after a while of hearing a constant stream of anti-crime jingles on radio and television.
Most of the publicity, illustrated to those present by a slide and film show, is designed to show that policemen are not such "bad chaps" and that in an emergency we really need them.
***Campaign" *
16 MAY 1973 HKS
to help poor
HONGKONG's fight violent `· crime campaign will benefit the poorer people of the Colony rather than the rich, according to Commissioner of Police Mr Charles Sutcliffe.
Speaking to a lunch meeting of the Pharmaceutical Industry Association at the Hongkong Club yesterday, Mr Sutcliffe said that only "a very tiny proportion of our community" lived in circumstances where they could feel safe to go out at night or early in the morning, or
to open their front door to a caller at night.
15 MAY 1973 C.M
25
>
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New laws will
not smash ́ crime: Hobley
-by-
Tony Bugay
16 MAY 1975 E
NEW government powers will not bring down Hongkong's rising rate of violent crime.
not
"The public should expect these Bilis to provide the complete answer to the crime problem," said Mr J.W.D. Hobley, Acting Attorney General.
In an exclusive interview
with the Hongkong Standard yesterday, Mr Hobley said: "The new powers of sentence will not of themselves directly affect the crime rate - though they nonetheless form a part of
effort the government's
to reduce violent crime by seeking to ensure that offenders are dealt with
as swiftly '.possible."
as
He added: "Part of the answer includes
co-operation and
detection."
Introduced over the weekend, the new laws include such measures as up to 14 years preventive detention for hardened criminals, caning as a
for punishment
weapon offenders, and greater powers for district court judges and magistrates.
"None of these Bills of themselves will increase the number of people who will receive prison sentences," Mr Hobley said. "The number of people who go to prison depends on the number of criminal who are detected and who are sentenced to a term of imprisonment following their conviction.
not.
"These Bills do introduce any new offences nor do they make imprisonment a possible punishment where it
such already
public
success
in
is
not
punishment."
2
Mr Hobley, who is strongly tipped to take over from: Attorney General Mr D.T.E. Roberts, went on: "A vital part of the government's campaign against violent crime
apart from an increased police erfort
is that members of the community should appreciate more fully how much each of us, as individuals, can do to help in tackling the problem by reporting crime, by taking sensible precautions at home and so on.
In reply to a question, the Acting Attorney General said that "the object of the new provisions for preventive detention is to enable the courts to make orders in appropriate cases prescribed by the law which will have the effect of removing habitual criminals ;from society for long periods.