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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1975
IN VIEW OF THE REORGANISATION AND EXPANSION THAT HAD OCCURED. COUPLED WITH BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROBLEMS THE POLICE FORCE HAD TO FACE, A THOROUGH REVIEW OF THE POLICE ESTABLISHMENT HAD BEEN PUT IN HAND, THE GOVERNOR SAID.
THE POLICE CADET SCHOOL, WHICH STARTED AS AN EXPERIMENT TWO YEARS AGO, HAD PROVED VERY SUCCESSFUL AND IT WOULD BE EXPANDED AS SOON AS FUNDS PERMITTED.
IN A SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE AUXILIARIES, THE GOVERNOR THANKED THEM FOR THEIR ADMIRABLE WORK AND SAID THAT AS THE STRENGTH OF THE REGULAR POLICE FORCE INCREASES THE AUXILIARIES WOULD BE FULFILLING A VITAL ROLE OF THEIR OWN AS A LINK BETWEEN THE PUBLIC AND THE REGULARS, PARTICULARLY IN CONNECTION WITH THE EXPANSION OF POLICE NEIGHBOURHOOD UNITS.
SIR MURRAY SAID IMMENSE EFFORT HAD BEEN PUT INTO THE GOVERNMENT'S THREE-PRONGED ATTACK AGAINST CRIME BY THE POLICE, THE HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT, THE MUTUAL AID COMMITTEES, AREA COMMITTEES AND KAIFONGS.
THE THREE MAIN LINES OF THE CAMPAIGN HAD BEEN EXPANSION OF THE POLICE FORCE AND THE IMPROVEMENT OF ITS CONDITIONS OF SERVICE= A THOROUGH OVERHAUL OF POLICE ORGANISATION, TECHNIQUES, PROCEDURES AND DEPLOYMENT, AND PARTICULARLY OF THE IR RELATIONS WITH THE PUBLIC AND THE MOBILISING AND ORGANISING OF PEOPLE IN NEIGHBOURHOODS TO HELP EACH OTHER AND THE POLICE TO DETER CRIME.
FROM THE START OF THE RECRUITMENT PHASE OF THE CAMPAIGN IN NOVEMBER 1973 UNTIL THE END OF MARCH 1976, THE GOVERNOR SAID, THE NET STRENGTH OF THE FORCE WILL HAVE INCREASED BY 3,450 MEN AND WOMEN. THIS INCLUDES 541 CIVILIANS WHOSE RECRUITMENT RELEASES TRAINED POLICEMEN FOR MORE ACTIVE DUTIES.
EIGHT MORE STATIONS HAD BEEN OPENED TO MAKE THE POLICE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC AND IN ADDITION 47 REPORTING CENTRES HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED. A START HAD ALSO BEEN MADE WITH NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING UNITS OF WHICH THERE ARE 11. THERE ARE ALSO OVER 1,600 MUTUAL AID COMMITTEES AND 90 AREA COMMITTEES.
NONE OF THESE, THE GOVERNOR NOTED, EXISTED AT ALL TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO.
SIR MURRAY WARNED, HOWEVER, THAT THERE WOULD BE NO EASY OR QUICK SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM AND HE MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME WOULD REQUIRE CLOSE PUBLIC CO-OPERATION AND COMMUNITY-WIDE SUPPORT.
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