852 5 868 5074 SECURITY BRANCH
852 5 868 5074 · P.0111.05. 88
16:27
COUNCIL MOTION DE
SPEECH BY THE HON GT BARNES SECRETARY FOR SECURITY
SECRETARY FOR SECURITY:
sir,
NO ET
I have noted with interest the points made by
Members in respect of juvenile delinquency. This is
something which all societies face in varying degrees,
and it seems to prevail particularly
if Hare is
intensely urban proper discipline,
stet
settings where a lack of guidance, Lopportunity or facilities,
young people are sometimes forced to
produces conditions in which young people fall back upon
which may be often meagre
their own meagre resources and some will inevitably
gravitate towards crime, and towards gang and triad involvement
It is unfortunately a fact that juvenile crime seven
in the 7 to 15 years age group in Hong Kong rose by
bercent
64 between 1983 and 1987, although the number of crimes
committed by young offenders aged between 16 and 20
dropped by 6
per cent.
Serious assaults, Shop thefts and
and serious assaults
miscellaneous thefts were the main offences, a large
proportion of which took place in the new towns.
сар
In my own policy area the response by the
Government has been in two directions: first, to encourage
young people to play a meaningful part in the community,
and thereby to help them to steer clear of delinquency,
by means of schemes and organisations which encourage
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