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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 13 January 1988
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SECRETARY FOR SECURITY: Sir, the Government provides a number of lo facilities for civil servants, including police officers. Loans are available, subj to the applicants meeting certain criteria, to purchase property; to meet rent deposits required by landlords; and towards buying a car. Also, police officers and other civil servants may apply for an interest-free advance of salary for a variety of purposes, for example to help with their children's education overseas; to defray the costs of any domestic calamity or serious illness, or of the death of an officer. The Secretary for the Civil Service has a general discretion to approve an advance of salary in exceptional circumstances not otherwise provided for.
In addition, the Police Force Welfare Fund provides interest-free loans to police officers under four main categories: education; medical; home removal; and miscellaneous, which may cover such items as relief for fire, typhoon and flood victims, purchase of essential household equipment and furniture, home repair, and funeral expenses.
Sir, to answer the second part of my hon. Friend's question, the police force continuously monitors the indebtedness of its officers. Although it is difficult to gauge to what extent officers are borrowing from illegal money lenders, the Commissioner of Police does not consider such borrowing now to be a serious problem. In 1987 only nine police officers, out of a total force of some 26 000, were investigated following allegations that they had borrowed from illegal money
lenders. In no case was there sufficient evidence to prove the allegation.
DR. TSE (in Cantonese): Sir, under miscellaneous loans, is any provision made for repayment of loans as a result of gambling and in the nine cases investigated, as well as other cases investigated in the past, does Government have reason to believe that illegal loans given to police offices are in any way related to criminal syndicate activities targetted at the police?
SECRETARY FOR SECURITY: No, Sir. To answer the last part of my hon. Friend's question, from the cases investigated we have no evidence that they are in fact. loans from syndicates directly aimed at criminal activity and particularly against the police force. To answer the first part of my hon. Friend's question, under miscellaneous loans they would not normally be allowed loans for the repayment of gambling debts.
Road excavation
6. MR. CHAN YING-LUN asked (in Cantonese): In view of the numerous excavation works on road surfaces all over the Territory, will Government inform this Council of the daily average number of such works in progress, the average time taken between commencement of work and completion of resurfacing, the criteria used for permitting contractors to postpone the date of completion, the measures required to be taken to ensure public safety, and the responsibility of the organisations undertaking the works for injuries sustained by pedestrians?
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