THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 1974
+INDEED, SOME OF THE SEIZURES MADE BETWEEN THE TWO WORLD WARS WERE VERY LARGE INDEED, EVEN BY TODAY'S STANDARDS, THE ACTING GOVERNOR ADDED.
+THIS LONG EXPERIENCE HAS OBVIOUSLY BEEN OF IMMENSE VALUE IN RECENT YEARS IN THE MOUNTING STRUGGLE AGAINST ILLICIT DRUGS,+
MR. ROBERTS SAID THAT THE RECENTLY ENACTED COPYRIGHT ORDINANCE HAS ADDED A FURTHER DUTY TO THE SERVICE AND A SPECIAL COPYRIGHT UNIT, COMPRISING A SMALL NUMBER OF REVENUE INSPECTORS, HAS BEEN ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THIS WORK SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
+ALTHOUGH THIS IS A NOVEL RESPONSIBILITY, HE CONTINUED, +EARLY RESULTS ARE ENCOURAGING AND SUBSTANTIAL SEIZURES OF PIRATED RECORDS AND TAPES, FOLLOWED BY SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTIONS, PROVIDE AMPLE TESTIMONY TO THE EFFICIENCY OF THIS UNIT.+
THE ACTING GOVERNOR SAID THAT PREVENTIVE SERVICE OFFICERS MUST BE FAMILIAR WITH A WIDE RANGE OF COMPLEX LEGISLATION UNDER WHICH POWERS ARE CONFERRED UPON THEM, SUCH AS THE DANGEROUS DRUGS ORDINANCE, THE MERCHANDISE MARKS ORDINANCE AND THE IMPORT AND EXPORT ORDINANCE.
THEY MUST ALSO ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE OF A WIDE RANGE OF INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES AND TRADE PRACTICES TO ENABLE THEM, AMONG OTHER THINGS, TO SUPERVISE THE LEGAL DISTILLING OF LIQUOR, RECOGNISE DIFFERENT KINDS OF DRUGS AND SEARCH FOR CONTRABAND IN OCEAN-GOING VESSELS,
-
THEY MUST BE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN VARIOUS KINDS OF HYDROCARBON OILS AND KNOW HOW TO TEST DETREATED OIL THEY MUST
• OF HONG BE FAMILIAR WITH THE GEOGRAPHY – BOTH RURAL AND URBAN KONG AND OF THE HARBOUR AND THE COLONY WATERS- AND THEY MUST BE SKILLED IN THE USE OF A WIDE VARIETY OF EQUIPMENT.
MR. ROBERTS SAID THAT THE INCREASING SCOPE OF THE WORK AND THE GREATER SOPHISTICATION OF TECHNIQUES REQUIRED, MADE IT IMPERATIVE FOR OFFICERS TO UNDERGO ORGANISED TRAINING BEFORE GOING INTO THE FIELD.
COURSES HAD GRADUALLY BEEN EVOLVED TO ENSURE THAT THIS REQUIREMENT IS MET AND NEWLY-APPOINTED REVENUE INSPECTORS NOW UNDERGO BASIC TRAINING FOR SIX MONTHS, AND ASSISTANT REVENUE INSPECTORS FOR THREE MONTHS, BEFORE BEING POSTED TO OPERATIONAL DUTIES.
HITHERTO, THIS TRAINING HAD BEEN CONDUCTED IN PREMISES OFFERING ONLY THE MINIMUM OF FACILITIES. THE GROWING NEED FOR PROPER PREMISES HAD LONG BEEN REALISED AND HAS LED TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF +THIS SPLENDID NEW TRAINING SCHOOL, HE SAID.
Li
NOTE TO EDITORS:
COPIES OF THE FULL TEXT OF MR. ROBERTS' SPEECH ARE BOXED FOR COLLECTION.
15
+