6
Wednesday, October 16, 1974
a day are tüming out for duty.
So in this comparatively
short time our effective professional and volunteer strength
available for deployment each day should have increased by
something like 2500. We need many more than this, but it
is a large step in the right direction, and I hope that.
another equally big one will be taken in 1975.
No doubt this greatly improved situation is due
to many factors, including improved conditions of service
and improved recruiting techniques and perhaps, to a
lesser extent, to a tighter labour market. But I think that
the prime cause is the improved relations. between police and
public and the good spirit of our young people. For the
present high quality of recruit I suspect there are softer
jobs for the money, but they join for a chance of an active
life in protection of the community, and Hong Kong has every
reason to be proud of them.
Progress has also been made in the re-organisation
of the Police Force to fight crime and in retraining it for
its changed relationship with the public to which we all
attach so much importance. The Secretary for Security will
be explaining the details in the course of the debate.
But I would like to speak about what the public
those at the receiving end of crime have done. The
creation of 1500 Mutual Aid Committees with the accompanying
superstructure of area committees, is not only a considerable
administrative achievement, but indicates the great need that
these organisations fill. There was indeed a void. A void which
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/was as dangerous
/was as dangerous....
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