PUBLIC ORDER
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been done by prisoners on forestry and other projects such as con- struction of roads, bridges, buildings etc.
Those prisoners not considered suitable for open institutions are housed in Stanley Prison which is the Colony's main security establishment, having an average population of some 3,300 inmates. This prison is also the main industrial centre where productive industries such as tailoring, shoemaking and rattanware are con- centrated. The total value of industrial products at Stanley this year amounted to over $2.25 million.
Young male offenders between the ages of 14 and 21 are housed under open conditions at the three training centres on Hong Kong and Lantau Islands. The emphasis is on strict discipline, combined with a constructive approach to training. Morale continues to be very high and the reconviction rate is one of the lowest in the world. There is a thorough, and highly successful, system of statutory after-care for boys released from the training centres and all boys are found employment before release. They then remain in the care of their after-care officers for a period which may be as long as four years from the date of sentence.
This has been a year of great activity in preparation for new institutions at Tong Fuk (now completed), Tai Lam, Starling Inlet, Siu Lam and Dragon's Back, and it is expected that by the end of 1968 all major projects will be realized. There will then be open prison capacity for 3,200 prisoners, and no new security prisons are planned.
FIRE SERVICES
The Hong Kong Fire and Ambulance Service has continued to expand numerically and organizationally during the year. Recruit- ment has been above average and the difference between authorized establishment and actual strength is now at its lowest figure for a number of years. With the growing sophistication of industry and products, demands on the service's training facilities continue to increase. It is not generally realized that firemen must comprehend the fundamentals of radioactivity, multifarious chemical processes, electricity and civil engineering. The continued technological ad- vances in these fields greatly taxes training resources. It is in fact no