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2013
4KL 14/16
CONFIDENTIAL
SCR 7/3231/56 II
Dear Andrew,
bon
Lanie
COLONIAL SECRETARIA
HONG KONG.
218
1. Wotton for
draft pise. The
Home office asked
for these details Ref DOP paper
on the death penathy Res
12 November 1973
I refer to your letter HKK 14/16 of 22nd October.
2.
The statistics refer to offences known to the Police and not to prosecutions or convictions. For this reason it is not possible to distinguish between murder and manslaughter. The distinction is often not known until the investigations into the circumstances leading to a death have been completed or the court has delivered its verdict; in unsolved cases the distinction may never be known. Nevertheless the chances of accidental death, or death from other causes, being classified by the Police as murder or manslaughter are remote. In this sense, the term "murder and manslaughter" is interchangeable with "homicide".
3.
I think there is no doubt that the figures of homicides reflect a genuine increase in the amount of violence. Homicide is something which has invariably been reported, whatever the reporting habits of the public about other crimes may be.
4.
With regard to other kinds of crime, there is no evidence to suggest that any significant part of the increase before the middle of 1973 has been due to more willingness to report. There has been, we think, more reporting during the last 6 months, but this would be too recent to have had any influence on the figures sent to you.
5.
Changes in recording practices of the Police only relate to the classification of offences under the Theft Ordinance, which was enacted in 1970, and do not affect the figures sent to you.
6.
11
The "murder rate" per mission is as follows:-
%
1960/65
8.5
1968
13.1
1969
14.2
1970
17.9
1971
24.2
(210)
1972
1973
Your
A.C. Stuart Esq., QPM,
27.9
26.9 (rate per annum as at end
of Oct. 1973 when the figure was 94)
ever,
fleurs
(D.T.E. Roberts)
Roberts)
Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Department,
F.C.O.,
LONDON S.W.1.
CONFIDENTIAL