IN THE RAID ON THE WALLED CITY WHICH INVOLVED 170 PLAINCLOTHES AND UNIFORMED PREVENTIVE SERVICE OFFICERS, 71 PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED AND SUBSEQUENTLY CHARGED WITH VARIOUS NARCOTIC OFFENCES, AND MORE THAN $100,000 WORTH OF DRUGS WERE SEIZED.
THE SUCCESSES WERE PARTLY DUE TO NEW TACTICS ADOPTED BY THE PREVENTIVE SERVICE TO HARASS DRUG TRAFFICKERS AND ADDICTS AT ALL LEVELS, MR. HATTON SAID.
AT THE AIRPORT, PREVENTIVE SERVICE OFFICERS, BACKED UP BY A DRUG-SNIFFING DOG, CARRIED OUT MORE STRINGENT CHECKS ON FLIGHTS AND BODILY SEARCHED INCOMING PASSENGERS ON A SELECTIVE BASIS.
DRUG FIGHTERS POSTED TO THE HARBOUR DIVISION OF THE PREVENTIVE SERVICE ALSO STEPPED UP THEIR SEARCHES ON OCEAN-GOING VESSELS, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHICH HAD CALLED AT PORTS LYING IN THE KNOWN DRUG TRAILS ORIGINATING FROM THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE AREA IN INDOCHINA.
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TO AVOID DUPLICATION OF EFFORT IN PATROLLING THE OUTER PERIMETER OF HONG KONG WATERS, WHICH IS THE PRIME RESPONSIBILITY OF THE POLICE, THE SIX PREVENTIVE SERVICE LAUNCHES WERE USED TO CARRY OUT + STRIKE AND SEARCH+ OPERATIONS IN THE OUTER BLANDS AND REMOTE AREAS, AS WELL AS MAKING PERIODIC SWEEPS OF TYPHOON SHELTERS.
THE SERVICE ALSO ACQUIRED A MOTORISED INFLATABLE DINGHY FOR USE IN SHALLOW WATERS AND FOR FERRYING PREVENTIVE SERVICE OFFICERS TO INACCESSIBLE COASTS TO CONDUCT CHECKS ON POSSIBLE DRUG HIDEOUTS.
TWO MORE WILL BE BOUGHT THIS YEAR TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN THE SERVICE'S +STRIKE AND SEARCH+ CAPABILITY.
COMMENTING ON THE SELECTIVE SEARCHES AT THE AIRPORT AND IN *THE HARBOUR, MR. HATTON SAID +WE CAN'T POSSIBLY CONDUCT
THOROUGH SEARCHES ON EVERY INCOMING FLIGHT OR OCEAN-GOING VESSEL WHEN ONE CONSIDERS THE VOLUME OF AIR AND SEA TRAFFIC WE HAVE EVERY YEAR.+
+LAST YEAR,+ HE SAID, +THERE WERE 27,000 INCOMING FLIGHTS BRINGING IN MORE THAN 40,000 TONS OF CARGO AND 2.7 MILLION PASSENGERS. IN ADDITION, NEARLY 7,500 VESSELS CALLED AT THE PORT DURING THE YEAR.
+IF WE SEARCHED INDISCRIMINATELY, A LOT OF MAN-POWER AND TIME WOULD BE NEEDED, AND IT WOULD ALSO SERIOUSLY HOLD UP AIR AND SEA TRAFFIC.
+THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS SELECTIVE SEARCH SYSTEM,+ HE EXPLAINED +IS TO ENSURE THAT NO LARGE CONSIGNMENTS OF DRUGS GET THROUGH THE AIRPORT OR THE HARBOUR.+
IN OTHER AREAS OF OPERATIONS AGAINST SMUGGLERS, THE PREVENTIVE SERVICE SEIZED NEARLY 30,000 WATCHES, 21,000 KG OF SUGAR, 1,200 KG OF TOBACCO, 3.350 LITRES OF EUROPEAN LIQUOR, 3,500 LITRES OF CHINESE SPIRIT AND 13,000 LITRES OF DIESELOIL.
THE TOTAL VALUE OF UNMANIFESTED GOODS SEIZED CAME TO NEARLY $4 MILLION.
/MANUFACTURERS