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POLICE UNITS REORGANISED
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 11,
JULY 11, 1984
NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE UNITS HAD BEEN REORGANISED TO GIVE GREATER FLEXIBILITY IN THE USE OF MANPOWER AND TO IMPROVE AND STRENGTHEN POLICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS, THE ACTING SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, THE HON G.L. MORTIMER, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
HE WAS REPLYING TO QUESTIONS FROM THE HON PAULINE NG ON THE REASONS FOR THE REORGANISATION AND ITS PROGRESS.
MR MORTIMER SAID THAT A DISADVANTAGE OF THE ORIGINAL NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE UNIT SCHEME HAD BEEN THAT. REGARDLESS OF LOCAL CRIME LEVELS, THE UNITS HAD BEEN GIVEN MANPOWER ACCORDING TO FIXED MANNING SCALES.
AS MANY AS 42 PER CENT OF ESTABLISHED NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE UNITS MANNED ON A 24-HOUR BASIS HAD BEEN RECEIVING FEWER THAN THREE REPORTS A DAY.
+WHEN THE SCHEME WAS INTRODUCED 10 YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A REAL NEED FOR EASY ACCESS TO POLICE SERVICES AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE UNIT MET THAT NEED, MR MORTIMER SAID.
+HOWEVER, SINCE THAT TIME THE BEAT RADIO SCHEME HAS BEEN INTRODUCED AND BEAT PATROLS ARE IN THEMSELVES EFFECTIVELY MOBILE NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE UNITS AND, AS A RESULT OF THIS REORGANISATION, THIS MOBILITY CAN BE EXPLOITED TO THE FULL.+
MR MORTIMER SAID THAT THE OFFICER IN CHARGE OF A NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE UNIT ORIGINALLY HAD THE DUAL RESPONSIBILITY OF MONITORING ALL POLICE WORK IN HIS AREA AND OF FOSTERING POLICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS.
+ IN THE NEW SCHEME, NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE CO-ORDINATORS WILL BE FREE TO DEVOTE ALL THEIR TIME TO COMMUNITY RELATIONS WORK WITHIN THE IR GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY. MOREOVER, THE SCHEME WILL NOW COVER THE WHOLE TERRITORY, MR MORTIMER SAID.
WHILE THE SPEED OF INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW SCHEME HAD NATURALLY VARIED FROM DISTRICT TO DISTRICT, MR MORTIMER SAID, IT WAS EXPECTED THAT THE FULL REORGANISATION WOULD BE COMPLETED IN ALL DISTRICTS IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.
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