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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1980
THE NUMBER OF SCHOOL STUDENTS INVOLVED IN CRIME WAS INCREASING BUT THIS WAS NOT SURPRISING SINCE MORE AND MORE AND EVENTUALLY VIRTUALLY ALL CHILDREN WITHIN THE AGE GROUP WOULD BE STUDENTS WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF NINE YEARS OF FREE, COMPULSORY EDUCATION.
+WHAT IS OF CONCERN IS A NOTICEABLE INCREASE IN STUDENT
SPECIFICALLY INVOLVEMENT IN TRIAD' OR TRIAD-RELATED OFFENCES
TRIAD MEMBERSHIP, CRIMINAL INTIMIDATION AND BLACKMAIL.
+THE NUMBERS ARE RELATIVELY SMALL STILL
50 PROSECUTIONS IN 1978, 113 IN 1979 AND WE EXPECT ABOUT 170 THIS YEAR -- BUT THE TREND TOWARDS GANG ACTIVITY, UNDER THE GUISE OF TRIAD AFFILIATIONS, IS WORRYING.
+I AM GLAD TO SAY THAT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF ESTABLISHED TRIAD BODIES SYSTEMATICALLY INFILTRATING SCHOOLS,+ HE ADDED.
ALSO, THE PERCENTAGE OF FIRST OFFENDERS HAS REMAINED UNCHANGED AT ABOUT TWO-THIRDS THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 1978 TO AUGUST 1980.
ON THE CAUSES OF THE UPSURGE IN JUVENILE CRIME, MR BRAY SAID MORE WORK STILL NEEDED TO BE DONE ON THE AVAILABLE INFORMATION BUT A FEW POPULAR GUESSES -- INFLUX OF LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, STATUTORY RESTRICTIONS ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF CHILDREN -- HAD BEEN ELIMINATED.
ON THE OTHER HAND THERE WOULD APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN AN INCREASE IN THE WILLINGNESS OF VICTIMS TO REPORT MINOR OFFENCES, AND THE SETTING UP OF MORE REPORT CENTRES AND NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING UNITS AS WELL AS THE SUCCESSFUL JUNIOR POLICE CALL MOVEMENT HAD MADE THE POLICE MORE ACCESSIBLE AND APPROACHABLE.
THERE WERE SUGGESTIONS THAT INFLATION AND INCREASES IN THE COST OF LIVING, MORE THAN NEUTRAL ISING INCREASES IN WAGES SINCE 1979, AND THAT LARGE SPENDINGS BY SOME MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILIES ON HOUSING HAD DEPRIVED CHILDREN OF THE VALUE OF THE IR POCKET MONEY.
ON THE FIRST POINT, MR BRAY SAID AVERAGE REAL WAGES (ALLOWING FOR INFLATION) FOR INDUSTRIAL WORKERS CERTAINLY FELL BETWEEN MARCH AND SEPTEMBER 1979 BY 3.6 PER CENT, BUT THEY THEN INCREASED BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 1979 AND MARCH 1980, ALTHOUGH THEY WERE STILL BELOW THE MARCH 1979 FIGURE. THE PERFORMANCE COMPARED BADLY WITH A RISE IN AVERAGE REAL WAGES OF 28 PER CENT FROM MARCH 1976 TO MARCH 1979.
AS TO RENTS, MR BRAY SAID IT HAD TO BE REMEMBERED THAT NEARLY HALF THE POPULATION LIVE IN HOUSING ESTATES WHERE RENTS ARE LOW AND IN FACT IT WAS FOUND THAT THE INCREASE IN CRIME WAS DISPROPORTIONATELY HIGH IN THESE ESTATES.
HE SAID AS A RESULT OF AN EARLIER STUDY ON JUVENILE CRIME AND DELINQUENCY, A PROGRAMME PLAN OF REMEDIAL ACTION WAS DRAWN UP TO ESTABLISH VARIOUS SERVICES IN A CO-ORDINATED AND SYSTEMATIC MANNER.
THERE WERE
+