PUBLIC ORDER
one-week seminar was held with Public Security Bureau officials in Guangdong, China. Liaison with overseas law enforcement agencies led to arrests in Hong Kong, the Netherlands and the United States of America.
The year also saw the introduction of the Computer Crimes Bill into the Legislative Council. Upon enactment of the bill, the Commercial Crime Bureau will be able to investigate crimes involving the use of computers.
Narcotics
The repeated bumper harvest of opium in the Golden Triangle meant that more heroin was passed onto world markets. Although significant seizures were made locally throughout the year, the abundance in supply led to a fall in prices.
Continuing the trend of the last few years, No. 4 heroin almost completely replaced the No. 3 product as the main drug abused in Hong Kong. The majority of drug addicts in the territory use heroin, although there was evidence of other psychotropic substances being abused, particularly by the young.
On the enforcement side, major successes against highly organised trafficking groups were achieved both locally and internationally, while the territory's level of co-operation and liaison with overseas law enforcement agencies continued to grow.
Of particular note was the seizure of a shipment of No. 4 heroin (396 kilograms) in June. This was the second largest heroin seizure ever in the territory, with the drugs having a retail value of $171 million. In addition, there were two major seizures of cannabis, one of 1 555 kilograms in May and another of 1 200 kilograms in July.
The Drug Trafficking (Recovery of Proceeds) Ordinance, which provides for the restraint and confiscation of the assets of convicted drug traffickers, continued to be a valuable weapon in the fight against the illicit drug trade. The legislation resulted in the freezing of $175,096,447 of drug-related assets to date.
Some 611.99 kilograms of opiate drugs, comprising opium, No. 3 heroin and No. 4 heroin, were seized, compared with 183.94 kilograms in 1991. There were 8 853 arrests for narcotics offences, compared with 7 688 in the previous year.
Crime Prevention
The Crime Prevention Bureau continued to promote the concept of crime prevention through structured publicity and the provision of professional advice to the community. Vehicle-related crime in particular was accorded a high priority, followed by domestic security.
Liaison between the bureau and the insurance and motor vehicle industries continued. It resulted in the introduction of more measures to reduce the incidence of vehicle theft, including education of the public on the need for better vehicle protection and the pursuit of better security measures in newly manufactured vehicles.
The phased police response to activated intruder alarms worked well. Man-hours were saved and standards of installation and maintenance improved, thereby reducing the number of false alarms.
Juvenile anti-crime education continued through the medium of the 'Robotcop', a computerised robot, which was used in over 200 displays in schools, youth functions, shopping centres and exhibitions throughout the year.
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