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Public Order
enforcement on the import and export of cargoes. Detector dogs and plainclothes officers are deployed at boundary control points, and cross-boundary vehicles are checked diligently.
In 2017, the department dealt with 207 drug trafficking cases, smashed 24 storage and distribution centres and four manufacturing and attenuating centres, seized 1,158kg of assorted dangerous drugs2 and arrested 329 people. Cross-boundary enforcement cooperation led to the seizure of 497kg of assorted dangerous drugs and the arrest of 48 people on the Mainland and overseas.
As part of the government's efforts in combating youth drug abuse, the department works with NGOs to encourage young people to stay away from drugs and lead a healthy life.
Anti-smuggling Operations
Overall, smuggling in Hong Kong is under effective control. That said, smuggling across the Hong Kong-Mainland boundary remains under close monitoring by the law enforcement agencies. In 2017, 175 Hong Kong-Mainland smuggling attempts were detected, with 206 people arrested and $494 million worth of smuggled goods seized. Tablet computers, mobile phones and computer central processing units were the main items smuggled into the Mainland. Cigarettes, which are cheaper on the Mainland, and counterfeit goods were often smuggled into Hong Kong.
The Customs and Excise Department collaborates with other law enforcement agencies to combat smuggling through intelligence exchange and parallel operations. It works closely with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department to detect and prevent the smuggling of food and animals.
Fire Services Department
The Fire Services Department fights fires, protects life and property in the event of fires and other calamities, provides emergency ambulance services, and formulates and enforces fire safety policies and measures. It plans and builds fire stations and ambulance depots to cope with the territory's development and service needs, and to implement the government's policy of providing the fastest response possible to emergencies.
Its Fire and Ambulance Services Academy, established in 2016, provides training services for the department as well as other public and private organisations.
The department has well-trained personnel, advanced communications systems and modern equipment. It employs 9,914 uniformed and 736 civilian members, and operates 1,060 fire appliances, ambulances and supporting vehicles and 21 fire vessels.
Firefighting and Rescue
Of the 33,934 fire calls received in 2017, three were classified as major fires of No 3 alarm. Accidents in the process of cooking constituted the major cause of fires, accounting for
2
Not including 6,099kg of khat, which contains substances subject to control under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance.
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