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Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
COLONIAL REPORTS-ANNUAL.
VIII.-CRIMINAL AND POLICE, STATISTICS.
The number of convictions in the Superior Courts during the last five years is as follows:-
1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1. For Offences against the Person 19 49 54 54 55 2 For Offences against Property 17 18 7 7 7 3. For other Offences 3 10 12 21 12The total of all cases reported to the Police was 10,421, as against 9,172 in 1901. This shows an increase of 13.61 per cent. In the division of these cases into serious and minor offences there appears an increase, as compared with 1901, of 594 cases or 17.45 per cent. in the former, and of 655 cases or 11.35 per cent. in the latter. The serious offences in which the increase was most noticeable were burglary and larceny.
The increase in crime in the Colony is no doubt largely due to the restlessness of the neighbouring districts in China, and the influx of Chinese paupers who were the victims of bad harvests and spasmodic rebellions in the two adjoining provinces.
The Police Force is composed of 133 Europeans, 367 Indians, and 419 Chinese, and has thus increased, largely owing to the necessities of the New Territory, by nearly 300 members during the past five years. The executive staff consists of a captain superintendent, a deputy and two assistant superintendents.
The daily average of prisoners confined in the gaol during 1902 was 576. The average may be said to have been raised by about 25 per cent. during the past ten years.
Constant attention is given to the instruction of long-sentence prisoners (first offenders) of good conduct, who are employed at industrial labour, viz.:- Boot and shoe-making, tailoring, mat-making, carpentry, tinsmithing, net-making, mattress-making, rattan work, knitting, printing, and book-binding- the knowledge of which is useful and educational, rendering many of them much better adapted to earn an honest livelihood after their discharge from prison.
The total number of forms printed at the Gaol during the year 1902 was 3,050,828, and 11,949 books were bound. The value of work done by the Printing and Book-binding Department was $29,039.13. Deducting the cost of paper, leather, &c., used during the year, from the net earnings, the total profits on all industrial labour amounted to $29,439.91 for year 1902.
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