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WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 1977
NEARLY 19,000 TICKETS ISSUED UNDER FIXED PENALTY SYSTEM
*****
THE FIXED PENALTY SYSTEM FOR CERTAIN TRAFFIC OFFENCES WHICH CAME INTO FORCE IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR HAS BEEN GENERALLY SUCCESSFUL SO FAR, THE ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE HON. GARTH THORNTON SAID TODAY.
REPLYING TO QUESTIONS BY THE HON. PETER C. WONG AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, HE SAID: THE NEW SYSTEM DOES APPEAR TO HAVE GOT OFF TO A GOOD START.+
DURING THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF OPERATION OF THE FIXED PENALTY SYSTEM, HE SAID, A TOTAL OF 18,924 TICKETS WERE ISSUED,
HE SAID THAT AMONG THE 74 OFFENCES LISTED IN THE SCHEDULE TO THE FIXED PENALTY (CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS) ORDINANCE, THE FIGURES FOR THE TOP FOUR WERE:
* SPEEDING, THAT IS, EXCEEDING THE SPEED LIMIT BY MORE THAN
10 MILES PER HOUR
- p
5,010-
* SPEEDING, THAT IS, EXCEEDING THE SPEED LIMIT BY 10 MILES PER HOUR OR LESS -- -1,010-
P
* DISOBEYING TRAFFIC SIGNS 2,997- AND
* PICKING UP AND SETTING DOWN PASSENGERS IN RESTRICTED AREAS
- 2,176.
MR. THORNTON SAID FEWER THAN 1,000 TICKETS WERE ISSUED IN RESPECT OF EACH OF THE OTHER OFFENCES IN THE SCHEDULE.
HE EXPLAINED THAT THESE FIGURES HAD BEEN UNDOUBTEDLY INFLUENCED BY THE ADMINISTRATIVE STEPS TAKEN BY THE POLICE TO IMPLEMENT THE SCHEME IN PHASES.
+FOR THE FIRST THREE MONTHS ONLY TRAFFIC POLICE OFFICERS
OF THE RANK OF SERGEANT OR ABOVE WERE PERMITTED TO ISSUE TICKETS= FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS ALL TRAFFIC POLICE OFFICERS WERE PERMITTED TO DO THIS, AND THE THIRD STAGE UNDER WHICH ALL UNIFORM BRANCH POLICE OFFICERS MAY BECOME INVOLVED WITH THE SCHEME HAS JUST RECENTLY BEGUN, HE SAID.
+THE POLICE ARE CONTINUING TO MONITOR THE OPERATION OF THE SCHEME WITH CARE, THE ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL ADDED.
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