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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1976
IN ADDITION, HE SAID THE SUB-COMMITTEE WAS CURRENTLY WORKING ON AN OVERALL STRATEGY OF PREVENTIVE EDUCATION, INCLUDING THE BEST MEANS OF REACHING THE TARGET AUDIENCE, AND ALSO ON THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO ACHIEVE THEIR OBJECTIVES.
ON LAW AND ORDER, MR. CHEONG-LEEN ASKED WHETHER IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR A SPECIAL SECTION TO BE SET UP WITHIN THE POLICE TO TRAIN, GUIDE AND SUPERVISE NEIGHBOURHOOD PATROL UNITS, WHICH SPRANG INTO EXISTENCE BECAUSE OF A REAL AND PRAGMATIC NEED, SO THAT THEY COULD AUGMENT THE REGULAR AND AUXILIARY POLICE IN PATROLLING NEARBY STREETS, PUBLIC PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS.
+ALL MEMBERS OF EXISTING AND FUTURE NEIGHBOURHOOD PATROL UNITS WOULD OF COURSE HAVE TO BE REGULARLY SCREENED, AND THEY WILL HAVE TO ABIDE BY THE GUIDE-LINES LAID DOWN AS TO RESPONSIBILITY AND SCOPE OF ACTION.+
HE ADDED THAT THERE WAS A NEED FOR MORE ORGANISED PUBLIC SUPPORT TO HELP THE POLICE COPE WITH ROBBERIES, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE RATE OF DETECTION FOR ROBBERIES HAD BEEN LOW, THAT IS, 15.1 PER CENT DURING THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF 1975.
IN REPLY, THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, THE HON. LEWIS DAVIES SAID FACILITIES FOR TRAINING MUTUAL AID COMMITTEE SECURITY PATROL MEMBERS ALREADY EXISITED, AND ALL SUCH TRAINING WAS ORGANISED BY THE HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT, WITH THE ACTIVE CO-OPERATION OF THE POLICE THROUGH THEIR POLICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS OFFICERS AND THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
ON THE QUESTION OF POLICING THE STREETS AND OTHER PUBLIC PLACES, HE SAID THIS WAS A MORE COMPLEX AND DIFFICULT OPERATION REQUIRING MUCH LONGER TRAINING, +1 THINK IT IS REALLY BEST DONE BY THE POLICE AND WE DO NOT PROPOSE TO EXTEND MAC PATROLS TO PUBLIC PLACES.+
MR. DAVIES EMPHASISED THAT CONTINUOUS EFFORTS WERE MADE TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SECURITY IN PUBLIC PLACES. HE SAID 27 ADDITIONAL POLICE NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING UNITS WOULD BE ESTABLISHED THIS YEAR.
+THE POLICY REMAINS TO ENCOURAGE MAC'S TO DEVELOP SECURITY PATROLS - AFTER TRAINING AND UNDER GUIDANCE INSIDE MULTI-STOREY BUILDINGS AND, TO INCREASE THE REGULAR POLICE PATROL PRESENCE IN PUBLIC PLACES,+ HE SAID.
ON THE QUESTION OF SMALL FACTORIES, MR. CHEONG-LEEN ESTIMATED THAT THERE WERE ABOUT 16,500 FACTORIES EMPLOYING FEWER THAN 50 WORKERS EACH. THE FACTORIES PLAYED A VITAL ROLE IN THE ECONOMY EITHER BY OPERATING INDEPENDENTLY ON THEIR OWN OR BY DOING SUB-CONTRACTING WORK.
HOWEVER, HE POINTED OUT THAT MANY OF THEM WERE INEFFICIENT,
+ UNDER-CAPITALISED, OUT-OF-TOUCH WITH TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN THEIR PRODUCT FIELD, AND ARE DESPERATELY IN NEED OF SOME FORM OF FLEXIBLY APPLIED GOVERNMENTAL SUPPORT.
HE SAID .........19