PUBLIC ORDER
A comprehensive review of the HKAPF was completed in March. Changes to the role, organisation and deployment of the HKAPF were recommended. Some of the recommendations took effect on April 1.
The establishment of the HKAPF is set at 4 500. Auxiliary officers are deployed to land Regions in numbers proportional to the uniformed establishment of each Region.
The HKAPF's role has been redefined as a trained manpower reserve to support the regular force, with an internal security role of protecting key points and consular premises and providing staff for command and control centres and station defence. Day to day, the HKAPF is a reserve to assist in times of natural disasters or civil emergency and to support the regular force in crowd management duties during major public events and festivals and in other pre-planned operations.
Independent Police Complaints Council
The main function of the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) is to monitor and review investigations by the Complaints Against Police Office (CAPO) of public complaints against the force. The IPCC is an independent committee whose members are appointed by the Chief Executive. It comprises a chairman, three vice-chairmen and not fewer than eight other members, with the Ombudsman or his representative serving as an ex officio member.
During the year, the IPCC endorsed the findings of 3 195 complaint investigations. As a new initiative, 29 Lay Observers were appointed by the Secretary for Security on September 1 to observe CAPO investigations under the expanded IPCC Observers Scheme. A three-year publicity programme that began in 1997-98 continued. It included the organisation of talks at universities and secondary schools, placing of advertisements on public transport facilities and distribution of publicity posters to various organisations, in order to promote public awareness of the IPCC and introduce its work to the student population in Hong Kong.
Customs and Excise
The Customs and Excise Department is primarily responsible for the collection of revenue and the prevention of revenue evasion concerning dutiable goods, the suppression of illicit trafficking in narcotics, the prevention and detection of smuggling, and the protection of intellectual property rights. It has an establishment of 5 167.
The department enforces legislation to safeguard the integrity of Hong Kong's trade (see also Chapter 6).
Revenue Collection
The department collects revenue from four categories of dutiable commodities: alcoholic beverages, tobacco, hydrocarbon oil and other alcohol products (i.e. methyl and ethyl alcohol). In 1999, $7.42 billion, representing a decrease of 6.1 per cent over 1998, was collected.
The department also assesses the taxable values of motor vehicles under the Motor Vehicles (First Registration Tax) Ordinance for the purpose of levying first registration tax. In 1999, the department registered a total of 78 motor traders and assessed the provisional taxable value on 42 722 vehicles.
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