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physical training and paramedic training at Emergency Medical Assistant II level. The last covers patient assessment, intravenous fluid therapy, defibrillation and administration of selected drugs. To cope with the increase in demand for emergency ambulance services, the school trained 204 recruits in 1998, comprising 10 Ambulance Officers and 194 ambulancemen. It also ran 29 refresher and re-certification courses for 338 ambulance personnel.
In-service training was provided to 1 688 fire and 1 195 ambulance personnel, while 29 officers were selected to attend various overseas training programmes in the UK, USA, Australia, Canada and China. The department recruited and appointed 48 Station Officers, 320 Firemen and 193 Ambulancemen during the year.
Buildings and Quarters
In line with the government policy to provide an emergency response to all areas within minimum set times according to category of risk, the department has continued to plan and build fire stations and ambulance depots at strategic locations to cope with local developments.
During the year, the Sham Tseng Fire Station-cum-Ambulance Depot and Tuen Mun Fireboat Fire Station were commissioned. The Fu Tei Fire Station, Ma Wan Fire Station, Pak Tin Ambulance Depot and Victoria Road Fire Station were under construction and scheduled for completion between 1999 and 2000.
The department manages 3955 departmental quarters, of which 3 680 are for uniformed members of the rank-and-file.
Public Liaison Group
The Public Liaison Group was set up to encourage public participation in monitoring and improving the delivery of emergency fire and ambulance services. Thirty members of the public from all walks of life were randomly selected from among about 140 applicants to form the group's fifth-term membership during the year.
Correctional Services
The Correctional Services Department (CSD) administers a wide range of services for adult and young offenders, drug addicts and offenders with psychiatric problems. The services fall broadly under two programme areas - prison management and re- integration into society. The CSD also manages Vietnamese migrants (VMs) and Vietnamese illegal immigrants (VIIs). For better co-ordination and planning of rehabilitation programmes, a Rehabilitation Division was set up in January 1998. One of the tasks of the division is to implement the recommendations made by a survey on the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes for young offenders conducted by the City University as commissioned by the Standing Committee on Young Offenders of the Fight Crime Committee.
At the end of 1998, the CSD managed 23 correctional institutions, four halfway houses, a staff training institute, an emergency support group and two custodial wards in public hospitals. In all, 6 987 staff were looking after 11 745 inmates, 254 VMs and VIIs and 3 359 people under supervision after discharge from custody.
In 1998, the prison population remained high and averaged 15 per cent over the certified accommodation, with prisons for adults being the major pressure points. To cope with the perennial overcrowding problem in correctional institutions, a new