143. Juvenile mendicants are referred by the police to the Social Welfare Office; adult mendicants are taken before the Courts and referred to the Probation Officers.
Gambling and Lottery Offences
144.
1957/58
1958/59 1959/60
True cases
2,395
3,185
3,712
Cases pending trial at start of period
1
9
Cases convicted
2,325
3,122
3,670
Cases acquitted
69
54
48
Cases undetected
1
Cases pending trial at end of period
1
9
3
145. Figures for the past three years indicate a steady increase in the number of cases disclosed. Of the 9,396 persons charged, 5,474 were charged with street gambling, 225 with keeping a common gaming house, 3,266 with gambling in a common gaming house and the remaining 431 with lottery offences. Endeavours are being made to get at the root of the street gambling some of which is organized by members of unlawful societies.
Hawking 146.
1957/58
True cases
60,349
Cases pending trial at start of period
1958/59 59.589 602
1959/60
42,528
Cases convicted
59,258
59,405
657 42,731
Cases acquitted
489
129
102
Cases pending trial at end of period
602
657
352
147. The decrease recorded in the number of hawking offences is primarily the result of a change in policy; two police inspectors now act as liaison officers with the Urban Services Department.
Narcotics
148.
True cases
1957/58 13,066
1958/59
1959/60
9,041
12,539
Cases pending trial at start of period
54
75
!
Cases convicted
12.161
8,423
11,915
Cases acquitted
795
570
606
Cases undetected
38
21
2
Cases pending trial at end of period
54
75
84
Nolle Prosequi
18
6
4
Accused dead, insane, etc.
3
149. True cases increased by 3,498 over the previous year, due mainly to the prosecution of offences committed in the Kowloon City
30