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PUBLIC ORDER
of counterfeit banknotes appearing in South-East Asia. It prose- cuted three important cases in which large quantities of counter- feit Indonesian, Thai, Philippine and United States currency were seized. In addition, a man was prosecuted for possessing 117 forged Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation $100 banknotes. Offences committed by criminals arriving as tourists continued to increase.
The strength of the General Investigation Office was doubled in April 1, to deal with increased work arising from organised gambling, prostitution and other protracted and complicated cases. On the same date, investigations into the misuse of cannabis, amphet- amines and barbiturates were taken over by the Narcotics Bureau, thereby centralising investigations into_all drug matters. The General Investigation Office placed some emphasis on the investiga- tion and prosecution of unregistered doctors and unlicensed clinics during the year. A total of 66 cases, ranging from practising surgery to possession of antibiotics, was heard by the courts.
The serious drug problem in Hong Kong, with its international ramifications, continued to give cause for concern and no solution is yet in sight. However, the Narcotics Bureau made a number of large seizures totalling 659 lbs of morphine, 120 lbs of heroin, 12,291 lbs of opium and 113 lbs of cannabis. There were four big seizures of raw opium, three consisting of complete consignments involving a total of 9,104 lbs. The total retail value of all drugs seized during 1971 exceeded $60 million, almost seven times the value of those seized in 1970.
Triad elements remained suppressed and there were strong in- dications of a gradual decline in the conventional triad movement. Violent, quasi-triad youth gangs, however, continued to pose prob- lems to law and order. During the year, a total of 1,034 triad offences involving 874 people were dealt with, against 960 offences involving 875 people in the preceding year. Apart from triad offences, many of the offenders were also convicted of other crimes and special attention has been directed by the Triad Society Bureau to the activities of people between the ages of 16 and 21. In this age group, the number of people arrested rose from 497 in 1970 to 579 this year.
As part of the Government's drive to root out corruption, con- currently with the introduction of the new Prevention of Bribery Ordinance in May 1971, the Anti-Corruption Office was reorganised and expanded, and a new sub-office was opened in Kowloon. The new Target Committee on Corruption was appointed by the Governor