TUESDAY, JULY 19, 1983
ON THE ANTI-CRIME FRONT, THE YEAR'S FIGHT CRIME CAMPAIGN CONTINUED TO BE AIMED AT LOWERING THE INCIDENCE OF JUVENILE CRIME, WHICH HAD SHOWN A MARKED INCREASE IN 1979 AND 1980.
''HAPPILY THIS EFFORT WAS PRODUCTIVE AND THE DOWNWARD TREND EXPERIENCED LAST YEAR CONTINUED IN 1982, THE NUMBER OF JUVENILES PROSECUTED FOR CRIME REPRESENTING A DECREASE OF 22.8 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH THE 1981 FIGURE,'' THE COMMISSIONER SAID.
CRIME OVERALL SHOWED A 9.9 PER CENT INCREASE AND THERE WERE INDICATIONS THAT DRUG ADDICTS AND RECENT IMMIGRANTS HAVE HAD SOME BEARING ON THIS STATE OF AFFAIR.
''INVOLVEMENT OF THE FIRST CATEGORY STEMMED FROM THE ESCALATION IN STREET LEVEL PRICES OF DRUGS FOLLOWING RECORD SEIZURES BY THE POLICE AND CUSTOMS EARLY IN THE YEAR. THE LATTER GROUP CONTINUED TO BE DISPROPORTIONATELY INVOLVED IN CRIME,'' MR. HENRY NOTED.
ANTI-DRUG EFFORTS REMAINED AT A HIGH LEVEL LAST YEAR, RESULTING IN AN INCREASED NUMBER OF PERSONS BEING ARRESTED FOR BOTH MINOR AND MAJOR DRUG OFFENCES AND A RECORD AMOUNT OF 254 KILOGRAMMES OF HEROIN BASE BEING SEIZED.
ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, MR. HENRY SAID A DISTURBING TREND WHICH EMERGED IN LATE 1981 WAS THE SMUGGLING OF CHILDREN FROM CHINA TO JOIN RELATIVES HERE.
''LEGISLATION WAS INTRODUCED TO COVER A LEGAL LOOPHOLE AND THIS COUPLED WITH INCREASED SECURITY AT KNOWN ENTRY POINTS HAS REDUCED SUCH ACTIVITIES.
TURNING TO TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT, HE SAID A WELCOME TREND HE HOPED WOULD CONTINUE WAS A SLOWING DOWN IN THE INCREASE IN ACCIDENTS AND CASUALTY RATES.
IN 1980 THE FIGURES WERE 7.2 PER CENT AND 7.6 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY AND IN 1981 10.9 PER CENT AND 12.7 PER CENT IN 1982, ACCIDENTS INCREASED BY 1.7 PER CENT AND CASUALTIES 2.9 PER CENT.
ANOTHER HEARTENING DEVELOPMENT IN 1982 WAS THE CONTINUOUS RISE IN THE NUMBER OF REQUESTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FOR POLICE ASSISTANCE, WITH OVER 74 PER CENT CONCERN ING MATTERS UNRELATED TO CRIME - A FIRM INDICATOR THAT EFFORTS TO GAIN PUBLIC CONFIDENCE AND SUPPORT ARE PAYING DIVIDENDS.
**THIS EVIDENCE OF PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IS ALSO REFLECTED IN THE NUMBER AND QUALITY OF YOUNG MEN WHO SEE THE POLICE AS AN EXCITING AND CHALLENGING CAREER, MR. HENRY SAID.
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