CHAPTER 17
Public Order
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HONG KONG remains one of the world's safest cities to live and work in. Its overall crime rates for 1997 and 1998 were the lowest and the second lowest in the past 25 years. Although the overall crime rate in 1999 showed a modest increase, it was the third lowest in the past 26 years. In addition, a number of categories of serious crimes such as homicide, indecent assault and serious narcotics offences continued to show decreases. Hong Kong's overall law and order situation is stable, with a crime rate lower than many other metropolitan cities in the world.
The Police Force plays a key role in maintaining good law and order. Continuous improvements have been made to the service through:
(a) deploying additional police officers to front-line operational duties. Since 1993-94, over 1900 additional officers have been assigned to front-line operational duties, and a further 54 officers will be similarly deployed in 1999-2000;
(b) modernising the force in terms of equipment and training as well as application of modern information technology to enhance efficiency in the prevention and detection of crime. A consultancy was commissioned in late 1998 to conduct a comprehensive review of the police Information System Strategy. The review was completed in April and the force is examining the findings of the review to see how best advanced information technology can be adopted to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of police work; and
(c) fostering a 'service-oriented' culture within the force by implementing projects, including the Customer Service Improvement Project, to provide more user- friendly and customer-oriented services to the public.
Fight Crime Committee
The Fight Crime Committee, chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration, provides valuable advice and makes recommendations on measures to reduce crime. In 1999, the committee considered specific subjects such as enforcement action against outlets selling obscene and indecent articles, youth gangs, the Law Reform Commission's consultation paper on the age of criminal responsibility, and measures to tackle the problem of falling objects in public housing estates.
Further to the discussion in the previous year about ways to counteract the influence of pornographic materials on young people, the committee reviewed the action taken against outlets selling such products. It noted that the departments concerned had made considerable efforts within their purview to stop the sale of
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