120
PUBLIC ORDER
different types and a driving school at which all police drivers are trained and tested. To carry out this wide range of activities, the branch has an establishment of 1,516. Of these, 1,251 are drivers and most of the remainder are engaged in the communica- tions field. Personal beat radios are being phased into use in most urban areas and a computer-controlled command aspect was installed during 1977.
A special radio facility provides rapid contact with International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) stations throughout the world.
Traffic
Following an easing-off in recent years, the number of registered motor vehicles increased from 191,746 to 207,521 during 1977. This gives a traffic density of 190 vehicles for each of the 1,092 kilometres of road in Hong Kong. Although these figures reflect increasing prosperity, they have given rise to a number of traffic control and management problems.
A record 13,879 traffic accidents were reported and resulted in 380 people killed and 17,457 injured. These casualties were partly attributable to the increase in motor vehicles, but another factor was the disruption to traffic flow brought about by an unprecedented volume of construction work. Many diversions and obstructions affected both motorists and pedestrians, and the latter were responsible for a very high proportion of the accidents.
The enforcement of parking regulations continued to pose difficulties. Insufficient parking facilities are available for the number of motor vehicles and, for every 10 lorries, there is only one legitimate parking space. Because of these circumstances, police endeavour to use judgement and discretion.
To deal with the increasing problem of pollution caused by motor vehicles, legisla- tion was introduced to allow police to measure exhaust emissions with smoke meters. Some 5,962 prosecutions were made.
A total of 132,466 fixed penalty tickets were issued for moving traffic offences during the year. The tickets, introduced late in 1976, enable motorists to pay fixed fines for a number of minor traffic offences without having to appear in court. The system has resulted in a considerable saving of administration work for both the police and the
courts.
Y
During the year, police began operating, on behalf of the Hong Kong Road Safety Association, a double-decker bus fitted out as a mobile road safety exhibition. Road safety lectures given in schools by police officers continued to play an important part of the road safety programme.
Marine Police
The Marine District covers the main ports and 1,872 square kilometres of Hong Kong waters, and polices 243 islands and isolated communities. It has an establishment of 1,343 officers and men and a fleet of 45 launches.
In addition to coastguard and patrol duties, the launches frequently make casualty evacuations from outlying islands to hospitals in the urban areas. During the year, 367 mercy missions were carried out. Some 1,773 requests for police assistance, mostly from isolated areas and from pleasure craft in distress, were received and acted upon.