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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1975
POLICE FORCE TO BE STRENGTHENED
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THE GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO INCREASE THE STRENGTH OF THE POLICE FORCE BY 1,430 AS PART OF THE CONTINUING EFFORT TO FIGHT CRIME, THE GOVERNOR ANNOUNCED TODAY.
HE TOLD COUNCIL THAT BECAUSE OF THE SPECIAL IMPORTANCE OF THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME IT WAS PROPOSED TO RELAX THE RECRUITMENT LIMIT OF 930 IMPOSED EARLIER ON THE FORCE AS PART OF THE MEASURES TO CONTAIN THE GROWTH OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE.
THE GOVERNOR NOTED THAT SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR THE STEEP INCREASE IN CRIME OVER THE PAST SEVEN YEARS HAD BEGUN TO LEVEL OFF AND THE NUMBER OF REPORTED SERIOUS CRIMES HAD FALLEN SLIGHTLY.
THIS ONLY MEANT, HOWEVER, THAT A SITUATION WHICH HAD BECOME INTOLERABLE HAD NOT GROWN WORSE, HE SAID. NEVERTHELESS, THE SLOW-DOWN SEEMED TO INDICATE THAT THE WIDESPREAD MEASURES TAKEN TO FIGHT CRIME WERE CORRECT AND WERE BEGINNING TO TAKE EFFECT. +WE THEREFORE PROPOSE TO BUILD ON THEM,+ HE SAID, ADDING THAT THE GOVERNMENT'S AIM WAS TO REDUCE CRIME DRASTICALLY.
THE GOVERNMENT WOULD CONTINUE TO FIGHT CRIME WITH EVERY MEANS AT ITS DISPOSAL, THE GOVERNOR SAID, BUT IT IS THE COURAGE AND DETERMINATION AND SUPPORT OF THE PUBLIC THAT IN THE END WILL BE DECISIVE.+
+ONE OF THE MOST ENCOURAGING FEATURES OF THE LAST YEAR HAS BEEN THE GROWING EXTENT TO WHICH THESE HAVE BEEN FORTHCOMING,+ HE ADDED.
SIR MURRAY SAID THE TIME HAD COME TO INVOLVE THE COMMUNITY MORE DIRECTLY IN THE CENTRAL CO-ORDINATION OF THE FIGHT AGAINST VIOLENT CRIME AND HE PROPOSED TO INTRODUCE AN UNOFFICIAL ELEMENT IN THE FIGHT VIOLENT CRIME COMMITTEE TO BRING NEW IDEAS TO THE ANTI-CRIME DRIVE AND TO HELP SPREAD KNOWLEDGE OF ALL THE WORK BEING DONE.
AT PRESENT THE FIGHT VIOLENT CRIME COMMITTEE, SET UP IN 1973, CONSISTS ONLY OF OFFICIALS DIRECTLY INVOLVED. IT IS CHAIRED BY THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS.
THE MUTUAL AID COMMITTEES, SIR MURRAY CONTINUED, HAD PROVED THAT THEY FILLED A NEED WITH THE PUBLIC AND THAT THEY WERE OF REAL VALUE TO THE POLICE. THE GOVERNMENT HAD THEREFORE BEGUN AN EXPANSION OF MAC'S AND THE HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT WAS BEING PROVIDED WITH THE RESOURCES TO ENSURE THAT THE BACK-UP AND SUPPORT NECESSARY FOR THE NEW COMMITTEES WOULD BE AVAILABLE.
/IN VIEW OF
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