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LAW, ORDER AND RECORDS
Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force. The auxiliaries also supply staff officers and communications personnel at Colony, district and divi- sional headquarters in emergencies. Newly recruited auxiliary con- stables are given basic part-time training in law, drill and weapons. Thereafter they are required to undertake 14 days annual training and a minimum of 60 hours instruction.
PRISONS
Hong Kong's prison system with its emphasis upon open institu- tions and the special interest of its work with drug addicts has attracted world-wide attention. The Colony has now been selected by the United Nations Asia-and Far East Institute as the most suitable place for field work training.
Of the institutions under the control of the Commissioner of Prisons only three, Stanley Prison, Victoria Prison and the prison for women at Lai Chi Kok are security prisons. The others, includ- ing the institution for drug addicts and three training centres for young offenders are all open.
The open prison policy is being further developed. There is already one open prison at Chi Ma Wan on Lantau and in November work began on another at Tong Fuk. There are also plans for an open camp at Luk Keng, near Sha Tau Kok in the New Territories. Out of a prison population of 5,800 about 3,400 are at present in Stanley Prison, the rest in open institutions. The completion of Tong Fuk and Luk Keng would raise the open prison population to 3,600 and bring the number at Stanley down to its proper level. The aim is that in future all short sentence prisoners should go automatically to open institutions. The open prison system, which is easier to administer in some ways calls for versatility on the part of the staff, but constructive work pays dividends in the help it gives prisoners to rehabilitate themselves upon their return to society. The third training centre was opened during the year at Shek Pik on Lantau Island and occupies bungalows vacated by the engineers who built the Shek Pik dam. It is hoped that with three training centres in full operation the 'young prisoner' classification will practically disappear.
With the high percentage of crime deriving from narcotics, addiction is clearly the Prisons Department's most serious problem.