WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1986
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ANTI-DRUG EFFORT GETS HIGH PRIORITY
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ENFORCEMENT ACTION AGAINST ALL FORMS OF DRUG ACTIVITY HAD BEEN GIVEN HIGH PRIORITY IN RECENT YEARS AND THE POLICE PAID CLOSE ATTENTION TO INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLIC, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE HON MICHAEL THOMAS SAID TODAY.
REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON CHAN YING-LUN, MR THOMAS SAID THE POLICE HAD BEEN ASSISTED BY AN ENCOURAGING RESPONSE TO A PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED IN SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR, BY THE ACTION COMMITTEE AGAINST NARCOTICS FOR INFORMATION ON NEIGHBOURHOOD DRUG PEDDLERS.
THE POLICE RESPONSE TO INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLIC VARIED WITH THE NATURE OF THE INFORMATION AND THE DETAIL PROVIDED, HE SAID.
+ IN SOME CASES, AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE IS JUSTIFIED. IN OTHERS A PERIOD OF INVESTIGATION AND OBSERVATION MAY BE NECESSARY.+
AS FOR FURTHER ACTIONS BY THE POLICE TO ELIMINATE DRUG +BLACK SPOTS+, MR THOMAS SAID THESE PLACES WERE KNOWN TO THE POLICE AND WERE THE SUBJECT OF PARTICULAR ATTENTION.
+MEASURES TO RESTRICT OR ELIMINATE SUCH ACTIVITIES IN THESE AREAS INCLUDE AN INCREASED POLICE PRESENCE, BY BEAT OR MOBILE PATROLS AND BY CALLING IN LOCAL SPECIAL DUTY SQUADS, WITH GREATER USE OF POWERS TO STOP AND SEARCH, HE SAID.
MR THOMAS POINTED OUT THAT IN 1985, THE NUMBER OF DRUG RELATED ARRESTS IN PUBLIC PLACES INCLUDING STAIRCASES AMOUNTED TO 6 408.
THE NUMBER OF ARRESTS MADE IN 1984 WAS 5 648, AND IN 1983 WAS 5 573.
BECAUSE OF THE MANY AND VARIED AVENUES OF APPROACH OPEN TO THE PUBLIC TO PASS INFORMATION TO THE POLICE, WHETHER IN PERSON, BY LETTER OR TELEPHONE, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO PROVIDE FIGURES OF EXACTLY HOW MANY CASES INVOLVING DRUG TAKING AND DRUG TRAFFICKING ACTIVITIES IN PUBLIC PLACES HAD BEEN REPORTED TO THE POLICE IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, MR THOMAS EXPLAINED.
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