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Inmates may also lodge complaints with any senior officers or duty officers of the CSD, or utilise other channels such as the visiting Justices of the Peace, The Ombudsman and the Legislative Council for redress of grievances.
Commissioner on Interception of Communications and Surveillance
The Interception of Communications and Surveillance Ordinance, which came into effect on August 9, 2006, provides a new statutory regime for the authorisation and regulation of interception of communications and covert surveillance conducted by law enforcement agencies (LEAs) for the purposes of preventing or detecting crime and protecting public security. The ordinance provides for the appointment of a Commissioner on Interception of Communications and
and Surveillance as an independent authority for overseeing matters related to the interception of communications and surveillance. On the recommendation of the Chief Justice, the Chief Executive appointed Justice Woo Kwok-hing, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal, as the Commissioner for a period of three years. The Commissioner is assisted by a secretariat to carry out his functions under the ordinance.
The main duties of the Commissioner are to oversee and conduct reviews on the compliance by LEAs and their officers with the relevant requirements under the ordinance; carry out examinations upon applications from people who suspect they are subjects of interception or covert surveillance conducted by LEAs; give notifications to those affected in cases of interception or covert surveillance without the authority of a prescribed authorisation; and make recommendations to the Secretary for Security on the code of practice issued under the ordinance and to the heads of LEAS to better carry out the aims of the ordinance and the code of practice.
The Commissioner has to submit annual reports to the Chief Executive with statistical information and his assessment on the overall compliance with the relevant requirements during the report period. The report will be tabled in the Legislative Council. The first annual report to the Chief Executive covers the period between commencement of the ordinance and December 31, 2006. It will be submitted to the Chief Executive within six months after the expiry of the report period, in accordance with the time prescribed by the ordinance.
Civil Aid Service
The Civil Aid Service (CAS) is a government auxiliary emergency service established under the Civil Aid Service Ordinance. It has an establishment of 3 634 adult members, 3 232 cadets and 111 civil servants.
Its primary duty is to provide auxiliary supporting services during emergencies. Members are trained to carry out life-saving tasks during typhoons, floods and landslips. They are taught how to combat hill fires and contain and clean up oil spills. In 2006, the CAS was called out to help rescue victims of a serious flood. Its members also carried out 60 mountain search and rescue operations, and took part in fighting 18 hill and bush fires.