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Public Order
Combating Unlawful Employment
The department's Anti-Illegal Workers Combat Squad combats illegal employment, conducting undercover patrols at illegal worker black spots. In 2017, 6,038 illegal workers were arrested in 15,970 raids. The vast majority were visitors who had breached their conditions of stay.
Illegal workers are fined and/or jailed before being sent back to their places of origin. Their employers are also liable to be prosecuted.
Deportation and Removal
The department processes deportation and removal orders. In 2017, 595 people convicted of offences punishable with imprisonment of not less than two years were recommended for deportation and 537 were deported, meaning they are prohibited from returning. Another 1,506 were removed from Hong Kong, comprising 583 illegal immigrants, 869 people who had breached their conditions of stay and 54 people who were refused entry.
Investigation and Prosecution
The department lays charges concerning immigration offences, including remaining illegally in Hong Kong, breaching conditions of stay, making false statements or representations, and using or possessing forged travel documents.
Illegal immigrants or persons subject to removal or deportation orders are prohibited under section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance from taking employment, whether paid or unpaid.
Independent Commission Against Corruption
Hong Kong prides itself as a city with a clean civil service, a level playing field for doing business and a society intolerant of corruption. International studies released in 2017, including the Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index and the Global Business Bribery Risk Index compiled by international anti-bribery consultancy Trace International, recognised the city as one of the world's least corrupt places.
Established in 1974, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) safeguards Hong Kong's deep-rooted culture of probity through a holistic strategy of enforcement, prevention and education. Its independence is enshrined in the Basic Law, and its operation is sustained by a strong political will of the government and supported by a community highly intolerant of corruption.
According to the 2017 ICAC Annual Survey, 96.8 per cent of the respondents expressed support for the commission. On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 representing total rejection and 10 representing total acceptance, the respondents registered a mean score of 0.6 in tolerance of corruption. In addition, 99.1 per cent said they had not personally encountered corruption in the past 12 months.
In 2017, the ICAC received 2,835 non-election-related corruption complaints, down 2 per cent compared with 2016. Of these complaints, 66 per cent concerned the private sector, 27 per cent related to government departments and 7 per cent involved public bodies.
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