20
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1976.
BRIGHT PROSPECTS OF REDUCING CRIME
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THE RISE IN CRIME HAS AT LAST STOPPED AND THE PROSPECTS OF REDUCING IT ARE BECOMING BRIGHTER, ALTHOUGH WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO, THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
IN HIS ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE AFFAIRS OF HONG KONG, THE GOVERNOR SAID THAT IN THE AREA OF CRIME, +OVERALL THE PICTURE IS OF SOME HARD-WON AND ENCOURAGING PROGRESS, BUT NOT YET OF VICTORY+.
HE SAID THAT MOBILISATION OF EFFORT BY THE POLICE ON THE ONE HAND AND THE PUBLIC ON THE OTHER WAS BEGINNING TO HAVE AN EFFECT.
+ I AM NOT THINKING ONLY OF THE CRIME FIGURES, THOUGH THE RISE IN FIGURES FOR OVERALL CRIME HAS LEVELLED OFF, THOSE FOR VIOLENT AND KEY CRIME HAVE BEGUN TO SHRINK AND IN PARTICULAR THOSE FOR ROBBERY HAVE DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME NOTABLE SUCCESSES AGAINST MAJOR CRIME AND SYNDICATED CRIME, HE SAID,
HE STRESSED HE WOULD NOT BE IMPRESSED BY THE BARE FIGURES, +WERE IT NOT THAT FROM THE MUTUAL AID COMMITTEES INSIDE AND OUTSIDE HOUSING ESTATES CONTINUALLY HEAR OF A GREATER SENSE OF SECURITY, BETTER LIAISON WITH THE POLICE AND THE BELIEF THAT FEWER CRIMES ARE BEING COMMITTED WITHIN THE COMMITTEE'S AREA.+
BUT HE MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE DOMINANT FACT WAS STILL THAT THE LEVEL OF CRIME WAS FAR TOO HIGH, AND OUTLINED FURTHER PLANS TO CONTINUE THE FIGHT AGAINST IT.
FIRSTLY, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE POLICE IS BEING REVIEWED IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT EXPERIENCES AND NEW COMMITMENTS, AND WILL BE FURTHER EXPANDED IF NECESSARY.
+SECONDLY, WE MUST PRESS ON WITH IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF THE FORCE, AND IT IS HEARTENING THAT 90 PER CENT OF THE APPLICANTS NOW HAVE SOME SECONDARY EDUCATION, SIR MURRAY SAID.
HE SAID THE SIZE OF THE POLICE CADET SCHOOL WOULD BE DOUBLED TO 600 EARLY NEXT YEAR AND HOPED THAT CONSTRUCTION OF A PERMANENT SCHOOL FOR ABOUT 1,000 WOULD BE COMPLETED BY 1980 AT THE LATEST, AS I AM CONVINCED THAT IN THIS CADRE OF PRE-TRAINED AND EDUCATED ENTRANTS LIES AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN THE FURTHER IMPROVEMENT IN THE CALIBRE OF THE FORCE+.
+THIRDLY+, HE SAID, WE MUST CONTINUE TO ENLIST AND ENCOURAGE THE SUPPORT OF THE PUBLIC.+
/+I AM