11
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 1977
NUMBER OF REPORTED ROBBERIES DECREASING
*****
THE POLICE ARE FAR FROM COMPLACENT ABOUT THE PRESENT INCIDENCE OF ROBBERIES, EVEN THOUGH THE REPORTED FIGURES REFLECT A MARKED IMPROVEMENT, THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, THE HON. LEWIS DAVIES, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
+THE POLICE ALSO SEEM TO BE EARNING INCREASING PUBLIC CONFIDENCE. FOR EXAMPLE, ROBBERY VICTIMS ARE BECOMING LESS RELUCTANT TO REPORT TO THE POLICE, JUDGING FROM THE NUMBER OF MINOR CASES WHICH ARE NOW COMING TO OUR ATTENTION WHICH WERE ONLY RARELY REPORTED HITHERTO, HE SAID, IN REPLY TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON. JAMES WU.
THERE HAD BEEN A STEADY DROP IN THE INCIDENCE OF ROBBERIES SINCE DECEMBER 1974. IN THAT MONTH A PEAK OF 1,274 REPORTED INCIDENTS WAS REACHED. THE MONTHLY AVERAGE IN 1975 WAS 926= THIS DROPPED TO 742 IN 1976, MR. DAVIES SAID.
+SO FAR FOR 1977 THE MONTHLY AVERAGE IS DOWN FURTHER TO 551.
1 TRUST IT WILL BE LOWERED FURTHER,+ HE ADDED.
+THERE ARE STILL KNOWN BLACK SPOTS AND THESE ARE GIVEN SPECIAL POLICE ATTENTION, OTHERS ALSO EMERGE. CID INTELLIGENCE UNITS PLOT VIOLENT CRIME ACCORDING TO PLACE, TIME OF DAY AND MONTH. FRESH BLACK SPOTS ARE THUS IDENTIFIED AND ACTION SQUADS ARE DEPLOYED IN TARGETTED AREAS PRIMARILY FOR PREVENTIVE PURPOSES, THOUGH, OF COURSE, THEY ALSO MAKE ARRESTS, HE SAID,
+THE PRESENT COUNTER MEASURES ARE PROVING EFFECTIVE AND GIVE GROUNDS FOR GUARDED CONFIDENCE.
+MORE POLICE ARE BEING EMPLOYED IN PLAIN CLOTHES AND PERIODICALLY VULNERABLE AREAS ARE SATURATED ON A PREVENTIVE BASIS.
+THE BEAT RADIO SCHEME HAS ALREADY PRODUCED GOOD RESULTS BY WAY OF ARRESTS, AND ITS INTRODUCTION HAS HAD A SIGNIFICANT DETERRENT EFFECT WHICH CANNOT BE QUANTIFIED, HE SAID.
0
/12