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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1974
.COMBINED EFFORT NEEDED TO FIGHT CRIME
:
IMPROVED RELATIONS BETWEEN THE POLICE AND THE PUBLIC AND THE GOOD SPIRIT OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WHO WANTED TO PLAY AN ACTIVE PART IN THE PROTECTION OF THE COMMUNITY WERE THE PRIME REASONS FOR A BREAKTHROUGH IN POLICE RECRUITING, THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, TOLD THE OPENING SESSION OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TO-DAY.
THERE HAD ALSO BEEN A LEVELLING OFF IN THE INCREASE IN SERIOUS CRIME, BUT HE WARNED THAT ALTHOUGH HEART COULD BE TAKEN FROM THIS FIRST RAY OF HOPE, THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR SELF-CONGRATULATION UNTIL A SIGNIFICANT AND SUSTAINED DECREASE IN SERIOUS CRIME HAD BEEN ACHIEVED.
SIR MURRAY SAID THAT IN THE PAST YEAR THERE HAD BEEN A THREE-WAY THRUST IN THE FIGHT TO MASTER CRIME.
FIRST WAS THE RECRUITMENT, TRAINING AND SENSIBLE DEPLOYMENT OF MORE POLICEMEN SECOND THE IMPROVEMENT OF POLICE TECHNIQUES, PROCEDURES AND ORGANISATION AND THIRD THE MOVES TO MOBILISE THE PEOPLE TO ASSIST EACH OTHER AND THE POLICE.
+WITH A SUCCESSFUL COMBINATION OF ALL THESE THINGS WE SHOULD HAVE A LARGER AND MORE EFFICIENT POLICE FORCE TACKLING CRIME IN CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH WOULD BE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE CRIMINAL,+ HE SAID.
+NEITHER THE POLICE ALONE NOR THE PUBLIC ALONE CAN TURN BACK THIS TIDE, BUT ACTING TOGETHER AS A UNITED COMMUNITY I BELIEVE WE CAN.+
SPEAKING OF RECRUITMENT, THE GOVERNOR SAID THIS AT LAST WAS PROCEEDING AT A SATISFACTORY RATE AND WITH A NEW INTAKE OF HIGH QUALITY. THE NET INCREASE THIS YEAR WAS LIKELY TO BE AT LEAST 1,500 AS AGAINST 300 LAST YEAR.
CIVILIANISATION, INCLUDING THE INSTALLATION OF TRAFFIC WARDENS, SHOULD FREE ABOUT 300 UNIFORMED MEN AND WOMEN FROM ROUTINE WORK BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.
AS A RESULT OF THE MAGNIFICENT RESPONSE TO THE APPEAL FOR AUXILIARIES ABOUT 1,900 WERE TURNING OUT FOR DUTY EVERY DAY.
THE EFFECTIVE PROFESSIONAL AND VOLUNTEER STRENGTH AVAILABLE FOR DEPLOYMENT EACH DAY, THEREFORE, SHOULD HAVE INCREASED BY SOMETHING LIKE 2,500. THIS WAS A LARGE STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, AND HE HOPED THAT ANOTHER EQUALLY BIG ONE WOULD BE TAKEN IN 1975.
THE CHANGED