5
Tuesday, February 13, 1973
"I also hope that this citizens' constabulary will help to bridge
such psychological gaps as exist between the regular police and the
people they protect, and encourage more communication and confidence
between police and public.
"Some people tell me that an increase in crime is something that
must be accepted as a fact of life in this part of the 20th Century. This
I utterly reject. It may be so elsewhere, but it need not be so and will
not be so in Hong Kong. Time after time our community has been
faced with apparently insuperable problems whether economic, political
or created by nature. Time after time it has shown it can surmount then.
When faced with a real challenge Hong Kong has a rare instinct and ability
for combining to do what is necessary. I believe it will do so again in
this instance, but it is up to the Government to show the way.
Active Co-operation
"A group of officials under the Secretary for Home Affairs has
been working hard on the details. Fairly soon now it should be possible
to go to district committees and subsequently to area committees and discuss
what the Government believes members of the public can do, and do,
safely, to help the police, hinder the criminal, and make life safer for
themselves, their families and neighbours. The regular and auxiliary police
can be relied on to play the main part. But to achieve the necessary
impact to reverse this criminal trend everyone's full and active co-operation
will be necessary. Already more and more people are helping the police by
raising a hue and cry when they see a crime committed, and having the satisfaction
of seeing the criminal caught as a result, This healthy and spontaneous
response