PUBLIC ORDER
witnesses to come forward. In 1991, six such facilities were installed. The suggestion in the document for employment of task forces to tackle organised crime was put into practice with the setting up in February 1991 of a task force comprising officers from the Police Force, Customs and Excise and the British Navy to deal with smuggling. This, coupled with the introduction of anti-smuggling legislation, has helped to reduce smuggling activities significantly.
The document also recommended the introduction of a scheme to assist non-active triad members to rehabilitate. The Triad Renunciation Scheme was launched on December 8, 1988, and suspended with effect from April 1, 1991. It was considered that a period of over two years was long enough for those who wished to relinquish their triad links to come forward. Under the scheme, a total of 1 197 applications were received of which 779 genuine triad members have successfully renounced their triad membership.
The document suggested that a supervision scheme should be introduced to discourage certain categories of offenders from committing crimes again. The Fight Crime Committee supported this suggestion and has examined how such a statutory post-release supervision scheme could operate.
Subsequent to discussion at the Fight Crime Committee, the Organised Crime Bill 1991 was published as a White Bill in August, for a three-month public consultation exercise. The bill aims to deter organised criminal activity by heavy penalties, to facilitate effective prosecution and punishment of individuals who participate in such activity at all levels, and to destroy the power of criminal syndicates by confiscating their profits. Apart from specific comments on certain aspects of the bill, the public expressed general support for it. The bill is being revised to incorporate the public views expressed and is expected to be introduced into the Legislative Council in 1992.
The committee has also discussed the Security and Guarding Services Bill. This aims at regulating the security industry through a licensing system to be run on two levels, namely, the licensing of persons who do security work (including watchmen) and the licensing of the security companies themselves. The bill is expected to be introduced into the Legislative Council in 1992.
The committee was concerned about the rise in crime involving juvenile and young offenders. A sub-committee of the Fight Crime Committee has decided to commission a research study to find out the social causes of crimes committed by offenders aged between 7 and 20, with a view to assisting the committee to consider ways to reduce the involvement of young people in crime. The Young Offenders Assessment Panel continued to provide advice to the courts on the rehabilitation programmes most likely to reform juveniles and young people. Two special Outward Bound courses were also arranged for inmates of Correctional Services Department and Social Welfare Department institutions.
The Integrated Law and Order Statistical System, designed to provide comprehensive statistics supplied by the Police Force, the Judiciary, the Correctional Services and Social Welfare Departments on offences, offenders and sentences, has been fully implemented. Meanwhile, development of computer programmes for producing statistics for the study on recidivism is almost completed. In view of the increasing data processing needs of various different users, a preliminary plan for upgrading the computer system is being drawn up.
The District Fight Crime Committees continued to play an important role in the fight against crime. They monitored the crime situation in their districts and helped foster both
247