PUBLIC ORDER
The department is active in WCO's meetings and seminars, particularly those concerning customs enforcement and customs techniques. Hong Kong will host the 1996 Policy Commission meetings and its plenary sessions.
The WCO's Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for the ESCAP region has been based in Hong Kong since 1987 and works closely with the department. Officers of the department also assist in WCO training activities, both here and overseas.
The department fully supported the WCO's declaration of 1995 as the 'Year of the Traveller'. The campaign aimed, first, to enlist the support of WCO members in focusing their officers' attention upon the importance of treating travellers with professionalism, and facilitating entry procedures without sacrificing enforcement objectives.
Its second aim was to sensitise the travelling public to the important function which customs authorities undertake on their behalf in protecting society, in order to gain more understanding and support from travellers, thereby promoting voluntary compliance. In response to this initiative, the department launched the campaign locally on January 26, 1995, the International Customs Day.
Performance Pledges
During the year, the department achieved its main performance targets in respect of vehicular traffic clearance at border control points, the clearance of detained cargo and air passengers, the conducting of factory registration and consignment inspections, the processing of applications for licences and permits, hire of customs attendance and counter services.
As part of its continuing efforts to improve efficiency, the department held quarterly meetings with customer liaison groups to review the general standard of services delivered. These related, in particular, to air cargo, sea cargo and dutiable commodities.
In December, the department completed its third set of performance pledges for publication in 1996, including new pledges on the registration of importers/ distributors of motor vehicles and assessment of First Registration Tax. Performance results pertaining to the second set of performance pledges announced in 1994 will also be published.
Independent Commission Against Corruption
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is independent of the civil service; its Commissioner is directly responsible to the Governor. It fights corruption through investigation, prevention and education, carried out through three functional departments: Operations, Corruption Prevention and Community Relations.
The ICAC received 3 232 reports alleging corruption in 1995. Of these, 1878 concerned the private sector, a decrease of 11 per cent compared with 1994. Another 1245 reports were made against civil servants, a decrease of 10 per cent. There were 109 reports against employees of public bodies, compared with 101 in 1994. The Legislative Council elections in September attracted 90 reports of election malpractices.
The public also uses the ICAC to report alleged criminal activities and general grievances against government departments. In 1995, the ICAC received 1 950 non-
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