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Chapter 3 The respons of the Police and the Fight Crime Committee to the triad problem
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THE POLICE RESPONSE
Introduction
3.1
As described in the previous chapter, the
It varies triad problem has a number of aspects. from relatively petty street level crime committed by youth gangs, to the more serious types of gang violence and low level organised crime, and to serious syndicated and often sophisticated organised crime. It is complicated by the fact that each triad society is different and the degree of control exerted by office-bearers and senior officials within each society is not uniform. The police response has to be flexible, co-ordinated and geared to attack the problem at each level.
3.2
Triads, gangs and organised crime are only one of the many problems with which the Force has to deal. Consequently, the allocation of resources to this problem has to be balanced against other law enforcement commitments.
Appraoch to the problem
3.3
Police action against triads falls into a number of categories
(a)
(b)
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the production of reports showing triad and gang activities as they affect other government departments in order that, where necessary, policies may be changed and triad and gang activities reduced or eliminated. The Working Group on Gangs is the forum for discussion of these reports;
long-term intelligence based operations against gangs and organised crime syndicates at the highest levels. These operations are aimed at
identifying and removing the lynchpins of such activities. They require a great deal of time to develop. They frequently result in charges which have no direct relation to gang activity. Nevertheless, where the result is the imprisonment of a leading triad figure, these operations must be counted as successful;