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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1978
MEASURES TAKEN TO HELP MINIMISE DELAYS IN COURT PROCEEDINGS
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THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE HON. JOHN HOBLEY, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY) THAT MEASURES HAD BEEN TAKEN TO HELP MINIMISE DELAYS IN COURT PROCEEDINGS CAUSED BY THE RECENT INDUSTRIAL ACTION BY POLICE INTERPRETERS.
+FIRST, THE SERVICE OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE OFFICERS ON THE POLICE FORCE ESTABLISHMENT ARE BEING CONCENTRATED ON THE TRANSLATION OF STATEMENTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR DISTRICT COURT AND SUPREME COURT CASES,+ MR. HOBLEY SAID.
+SECONDLY, THE POLICE FORCE IS USING THE SERVICES FOR THIS WORK OF RETIRED INTERPRETERS WHO ARE OF COURSE BEING REMUNERATED, + HE ADDED.
REPLYING TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN, MR. HOBLEY SAID THAT SO FAR AS INTERPRETATION WAS CONCERNED, BILINGUAL CHINESE POLICE OFFICERS ARE HELPING OUT. IN SHORT, OTHERS
+ ARE CONTRIBUTING IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER TO KEEPING THINGS MOVING AS NEAR TO NORMAL AS POSSIBLE, HE SAID.
+AND, OF COURSE, THE INTERPRETERS HAVE CONTINUED TO PERFORM MUCH OF THE IR USUAL WORK, AND NOT ALL OF THEM ARE ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN THE REFUSAL TO PERFORM WORK, + HE ADDED.
MR. HOBLEY POINTED OUT THAT THE CONDUCT OF THE POLICE INTER- PRETERS HAD CAUSED AND WAS CAUSING DELAY IN RELATION TO SOME CRIMINAL CASES TO BE TRANSFERRED TO THE DISTRICT COURT OR COMMITTED FOR TRIAL TO THE SUPREME COURT.
+HOWEVER, + HE SAID, THE EFFECT OF THE IR CONDUCT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, THOUGH NATURALLY WORRYING, IS NOT ALARMING.+
AS AN EXAMPLE, MR. HOBLEY SAID, THE DELAYS HAVE BEEN MITIGATED TO SOME EXTENT BY THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT'S OFFICERS WHO HAVE DEALT WITH SOME CASES ON FILES WHICH ARE LESS THAN SATISFACTORY BECAUSE OF THE ABSENCE OF TRANSLATIONS OF STATEMENTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS.
+I CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO GO ON, HE ADDED.
REFERRING TO CASES BEING TRIED BY MAGISTRATES, MR. HOBLEY SAID THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DELAYS BECAUSE THE DEMAND FOR TRANSLATIONS, WHICH REPRESENTED ABOUT HALF OF THE INTERPRETERS' WORK ON AVERAGE, WAS MUCH LESS.
+TRANSLATIONS ARE NOT PREPARED WHERE THERE IS A PLEA OF GUILTY, AND THEY ARE NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY IF THERE IS A TRIAL,+ MR, HOBLEY SAID,
+BOTH THE LAY PROSECUTORS AND POLICE PROSECUTING OFFICERS WHO READ CHINESE ARE WORKING FROM PAPERS WRITTEN IN CHINESE, WITHOUT TRANSLATIONS, HE ADDED.
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