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The committee also considered that one contributing factor to the increase of indecent assault cases was the availability of pornographic articles in the market and through the Internet. On its advice, a special three-month campaign against pornographic materials, in particular pornographic video compact discs and computer disks, was jointly conducted by the enforcement agencies the Police, the Customs and Excise Department, and the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority from March to May 1997.
As many victims of sexual and related crimes were juveniles or young people, the committee felt that sex education in schools was an important preventive measure. It provided valuable advice on the drawing up of the new sex education guidelines in schools and the provision of training to teachers to teach sex education.
The committee recommended that action under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance and the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance should continue to be taken against the illegal sale of psychotropic drugs by medical practitioners and pharmacies.
In 1997, the committee continued to devote much of its attention to the prevention of juvenile involvement in crime. It commissioned two research projects and considered the findings. One was on juvenile gangs and runaway youths by the Chinese University of Hong Kong's research team and another on the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes for young offenders by the City University of Hong Kong's research team. Based on the recommendations, the government drew up plans to improve youth services and rehabilitation services for young offenders.
District Fight Crime Committees continued to play an important role. They monitored the crime situation in their districts, and helped foster community awareness of the need to prevent crime and community participation in fighting it. In October 1997, all District Fight Crime Committee members participated in the Fight Crime Reception at the Island Shangri-La Hotel.
Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force has operational responsibility for crime prevention and detection; the maintenance of law and order; traffic matters and the detection of illegal immigration. At December 31, the Force had 33 514 members, comprising 27 588 disciplined staff and 5 926 civilians. Police operations are reinforced by 5 455 volunteer citizens of the Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force.
The Handover Ceremony to mark the transfer of sovereignty in June/July and the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group/International Monetary Fund (WB/IMF) in September presented unprecedented policing challenges. The Force was wholly responsible for the security of these two major events and the protection of all visiting dignitaries where necessary. Both security operations went smoothly and the favourable law and order situation in Hong Kong was maintained throughout the transition period.
Following the promulgation of the Force Vision and Statement of Common Purposes and Values, a set of strategic directions has been formulated to govern the Force's management and operations over the next five years.
Operationally, it is resolved to maintain the rapid and effective response capability of uniformed Police officers and to enhance its professionalism in preventing and controlling crime. On crime prevention, the Force will involve all sections of the