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organisations. Since 1990, 223 criminal fugitives and 284 stolen vehicles have been returned to Hong Kong from the Mainland.
The Interpol Division represents the Police Force in the International Criminal Police Organisation (ICPO), better known as Interpol, as a sub-bureau of the China National Central Bureau. A Hong Kong police officer is seconded to the ICPO General Secretariat in Lyon, France, to work in one of its specialised groups. An officer is also attached to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Sydney, Australia, to enhance international cooperation in combating crime.
During the year, with the assistance and cooperation provided by overseas enforcement agencies, five persons were extradited to Hong Kong and six persons were extradited from here to other countries.
Transnational Organised Crime Conference
The four-day Transnational Organised Crime Conference organised by the Police Force in March was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and brought together a total of 543 delegates from 35 countries and 151 organisations. The delegates included senior officials of law enforcement agencies, lawyers, executives from the banking and finance sectors, academics and various other professionals.
With a theme of Bridging the GAP A Global Alliance Perspective on Transnational Organised Crime, the conference focused on four major areas of transnational criminal activities including cyber crime, money laundering, changing trends in narcotics crime, and triad societies.
Distinguished representatives from international agencies delivered keynote speeches while panel discussions were organised for delegates to share their experiences and pave the way forward in strengthening the operational, legal and cultural frameworks to enable law enforcement agencies around the world to cooperate more effectively in the fight against cross-boundary crime.
Public Order
There were no major incidents affecting public order in Hong Kong during the year. The Police Tactical Unit (PTU) Headquarters provides training to Regional and District personnel to cope with internal security commitments. During the year, more than 1 300 officers formed eight PTU companies to receive such training. The training provides officers with the capability to carry out a wide range of duties, including anti-crime patrols, anti-illegal immigration operations, security assurance and crowd management for festive occasions, major international conferences, public gatherings, processions and demonstrations.
PTU officers played an important role in the successful policing of events marking the 5th Anniversary of the Establishment of the HKSAR and major international events hosted in Hong Kong during the year, including the 16th World Congress of Accountants in November and the International Telecommunication Union's Telecom Asia 2002 in December.
The Special Duties Unit (SDU), which is the Police Force's counter-terrorist response unit, is also based at PTU Headquarters. During the year, it was deployed on a number of occasions to assist other units in various operations. Although the risk of Hong Kong being the target of a terrorist attack is relatively low, following the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, and subsequent terrorist