PUBLIC ORDER
Crime
213
In 1987, 82 914 crimes were reported, compared with 81 411 in 1986. There were 5 461 robberies, compared with 5 372, and 11 587 burglaries compared with 11 942 in 1986. The overall detection rate was 46.2 per cent, against 47.9 per cent in the previous year.
A total of 37 561 people were arrested and prosecuted, compared with 37 863 in 1986. There were 34 301 adults and 3 260 juveniles (under 16 years) prosecuted, compared with 35 265 and 2 598, respectively, in 1986.
Organised and Serious Crime
The Organised and Serious Crimes Group increased its operations against triad societies and organised crime syndicates, with notable successes. There were 147 robberies involving the use of genuine or imitation firearms, about the same number as last year. Altogether, 37 genuine firearms were seized and 27 persons were arrested and charged with various related offences. Robberies against goldsmith, jewellery and watch shops dropped, a total of 28 such cases being recorded, accounting for the loss of property valued at $50 million.
Commercial Crime
The major areas of concern involved letters of credit, missing or false shipments of cargo and attempts by international groups to use Hong Kong as a base for advance fee frauds.
Hong Kong continues to be a centre for the production of high quality counterfeit currency and other security printed documents. During the year, a number of workshops producing counterfeit currency and cheques were located and neutralised. In June, four members of a syndicate operating out of Pakistan were arrested when they flew into Hong Kong with equipment for the production of high quality counterfeit travellers' cheques. In another case, following the arrest of two Hong Kong citizens and the seizure of $3 million in counterfeit notes in China, a further five people were arrested in Hong Kong and charged with conspiring to forge banknotes.
Narcotics
Yet another heavy opium crop in the Golden Triangle - Hong Kong's almost exclusive source of opiates resulted in widespread drug trafficking throughout Southeast Asia and an influx of opiates into Hong Kong. Continued action by police and customs units resulted in fluctuations in both prices and purity levels.
Mainly as a result of tighter controls over the availability of Methaqualone (Mandrax) in China, there was a decrease in the seizures of this drug.
Some 745 kilograms of opiate drugs, including heroin base, No. 3 heroin, No. 4 heroin and opium were seized by police and customs, compared with 643 kilograms in 1986. There were 11 233 prosecutions for narcotics offences, compared with 12 494 in the previous year.
Bomb Reports
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit dealt with 185 incidents during the year. Opera- tions included the neutralisation of two improvised devices, the investigation of four explo- sions attributed to improvised devices, 22 incidents involving the seizure of explosives and 72 related to the clearance of World War II relics. In addition, 380 reports concerning suspicious objects were received and investigated either by the unit or general duty officers. There were four major bomb incidents in June and July. In one, 14 people were injured at Taikoo Shing, and in the other three damage was caused to the Queensway government office block, the Yau Ma Tei multi-storey carpark and the Tsim Sha Tsui Centre.