PUBLIC ORDER
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Major road works completed included a flyover across Pokfulam Road into Bonham Road at its junction with Hill Road, the extension of Cornwall Street to provide a western approach to Lung Cheung Road from Waterloo Road and a pedestrian bridge across Connaught Road. All assisted in reducing police traffic control commitments in these areas.
With the fixed penalty system, introduced in 1971, a total of 895,100 tickets were issued during 1973 and 84.74 per cent of these-758,511-were paid without appearance in court. Of the 136,589 cases which went to court 136,552 were sub- sequently convicted and 37 dismissed.
Road safety activities during the year consisted of two campaigns, the first directed towards parents to remind them_of their responsibilities to teach their children road safety, and the second a major campaign entitled Cross in Safety. The larger campaign introduced the Crossing Code, a local adaptation of the Green Cross- ing Code which was introduced in Britain with great success two years ago. Finally, 1973 saw the introduction of the Standing Conference on Road Safety, an official government body similar to road safety councils which operate in other parts of the world.
Establishment
Force establishment at the close of the year totalled 16,025 all ranks, an increase of 1,209 over the previous year's figures. Strength, excluding women, was 11,805 made up of 191 gazetted officers, 1,023 inspectorate officers and 10,591 rank and file. The number of women serving with the force at December 31, was three gazetted officers, 45 inspectorate officers and 649 rank and file.
The number of civilian staff employed by the force rose by 285 to 2,492. During the year, the force lost the services of 1,564 men and women due to death, dismissal, retirement and resignation. The figure for the previous year was 1,177 (including 142 civilians on transfer to other government departments).
Administration
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In September 1973 it was announced that Mr B. F. Slevin, a Deputy Commis- sioner of Police, would succeed the present Commissioner, Mr C. P. Sutcliffe, who was due to go on leave prior to retirement at the beginning of 1974.
At the end of the year there were 60 projects in the police building programme. These included an auxiliary police headquarters, four district headquarters, seven divisional headquarters, additional urban and rural police stations as well as quarters, accommodation for training purposes and other ancillary units. Police buildings com- pleted during 1973 were Stage III of Police Headquarters, now known as New May House, in Arsenal Street, four sub-divisional stations at Tsz Wan Shan, Ngau Tau Kok, Happy Valley and Chai Wan, a rural station at Yuen Ng Fan built in connection with the High Island water scheme, an additional wing at Hung Hom police station, and six permanent reporting centres at Shek Lei, Kwai Fong, Lok Fu, Sau Mau Ping,