No. 4.
MAGISTRACY,
149
HONGKONG, 30th January, 1897.
SIR,-In compliance with Circular No. 8 of the 20th October, 1896, I have the honour to forward the usual returns of this Department for the year, 1896.
1. Strength of the Department.
2. Abstract of cases during the year.
3. Comparative returns of cases for the past ten years.
4. Criminal statistics I, II, III and V.
In addition, I have the honour to submit statistics of the Light and Pass Regulations.
In November 1895, the provisions of the Light and Pass sections of Ordinance 13 of 1888 were revived and up to the end of the year 1,739 persons were convicted and 9 discharged.
On the 11th January last by Government Notification No. 7 the hours, which had previously been from 7 and 9 P.M from which times respectively Light and Passes had to be carried to sunrise were reduced to "from-between midnight and sunrise.
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During last year 3,441 persons were charged for breach of the Regulations, 79 were discharged, 116 had their bails estreated and 3,246 were fined or imprisoned. Table A gives the details.
Examination of Table A will show that whilst the fines were uniformly small, the number of offenders did not diminish to any appreciable extent as however the fines increased the numbers decreased till now readier obedience to the law has been enforced.
A comparative return of "Serious offences" for the first two quarters of the years 1895-96 is attached. Table B.
Taking first the comparative return of crimes the 3rd column from the right contains the total number of cases reported and dealt with, the last and last but one the number of individuals convicted and discharged respectively.
The difference between the 3rd column for the periods under review for 1895 and 1896 are as follows:
Murder,
Robbery with violence from the person,
Burglary or Larceny from Dwelling,
Kidnapping and Protection of Women and Girls,
Unlawful Possession,
Larcenies,
Felonies not already given,
1896.
INCREASE.
DECREASE.
2
...
2
18
18
103
203
7
Murder, Kidnapping and Protection of Women and Girls can iu no sense be considered as liable to control by the Light and Pass sections.
Burglary and Larceny from the Dwelling have unfortunately been put under the one bead; if they had been dissociated and Burglary and louse-breaking differentiated the correct comparison of day light crimes under this head would have been arrived at.
The decrease in the number of cases of Unlawful Possession and Larcenies is most marked. In Unlawful Possession from 238 to 135 or 43% in Larcenies from 1,082 to 879 or 19 % and this decrease has been arrived at coincidently with a marked increase in the number of individuals convicted. In 1895 the percentage of convictions for Larcenies was 43.25, in 1896 for the same offence 55.83. Under the principal heads of crime therefore viz.:-
(a.) Unlawful Possession has decreased 43% and,
(b.) Larcenies in the number of cases has decreased 19 % whilst the proportion of convictions
has increased 12.48% or a nett gain of over 31 %.
In addition, 295 Rogues and Vagabonds have been convicted, 14 discharged and 1 bound over.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
The Honourable J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,
Colonial Secretary.
WM. C. H. HASTINGS,
Acting Police Magistrate.
TOTAL
TOTAL NUMBER NUMBER
OF
OF
PRISON-
CASES.
ERS.
17,767