WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 1984
12
DR THONG SAID THAT WHILE THERE HAD BEEN AN UPWARD TREND IN THE NUMBER OF THESE CASES SINCE THE AMENDMENT OF THE OFFENCES AGAINST THE PERSON ORDINANCE IN FEBRUARY 1981, THE RATES OF
NCREASE IN THE PAST THREE YEARS HAD NOT SHOWN ANY APPRECIABLE CHANGE.
AS REGARDS THE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL ABORTION CASES, HE TOLD THE COUNCIL THAT THERE WAS ALSO NO APPRECIABLE CHANGE DURING THE SAME PERIOD.
ACCORDING TO AVAILABLE RECORDS FROM THE ROYAL HONG KONG POLICE FORCE, THE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL ABORTION CASES FOR THE YEARS 1981, 1982 AND 1983 WERE FIVE, ONE AND FIVE RESPECTIVELY.
DR THONG EXPLAINED THAT IN ANY CASE, THE NUMBERS WERE VERY SMALL AND IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO DRAW ANY DEFINITE CONCLUSIONS FROM THESE FIGURES TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS, IF ANY, OF THE AMENDMENTS OF THE ORDINANCE ON THE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL ABORTIONS.
HE ADDED THAT FROM THE STATISTICS ON THE NUMBERS AND RATES OF INCREASE OF LEGAL AND ILLEGAL TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY CASES THE AMENDMENTS TO THE LAW DID NOT APPEAR TO HAVE RESULTED IN ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THIS RESPECT.
HE WAS ALSO NOT AWARE OF ANY SPECIFIC ASSESSMENTS WHICH HAD BEEN MADE ON SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES SINCE THE AMENDMENTS TO THE LAW WERE MADE.
NEW POLICE COMPLAINTS SCHEME STUDIED ****
A SCHEME WHICH ALLOWS INFORMAL RESOLUTION OF MINOR AND TRIVIAL COMPLAINTS AGAINST POLICE IS BEING INTRODUCED BY THE UMELCO POLICE GROUP.
THIS WAS SAID TODAY BY THE HON T.S. LO AS HE PRESENTED THE GROUP'S 1983 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
MR LO SAID THAT A RECORD NUMBER OF POLICE INVESTIGATION REPORTS HAD BEEN EXAMINED.
+THIS INCREASING WORKLOAD AND THE LIMITED AUDIT ROLE OF THE GROUP HAS BEEN A MATTER OF GROWING CONCERN TO US. IN CONCERT WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S CHAMBERS, THE SECURITY BRANCH AND THE POLICE, A WORKING PARTY HAS BEEN SET UP TO CONSIDER NEW AND IMPROVED WORKING PROCEDURES FOR MONITORING THE HANDLING OF PUBLIC COMPLAINTS BY THE POLICE,+ HE SAID.
+WITH OTHER PROPOSALS, THE GROUP IS ATTRACTED TO A SCHEME WHICH PROVIDES FOR THE INFORMAL RESOLUTION OF SOME MINOR AND TRIVIAL COMPLAINTS.
/+THE SCHELE