SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 1986
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BOARDS PAY OUT $4.25 MILLION IN COMPENSATION
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THE CRIMINAL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT INJURIES COMPENSATION (CLEIC) BOARDS LAST YEAR PAID OUT $4.25 MILLION COMPENSATION TO VICTIMS OR THEIR DEPENDENTS, ACCORDING TO THE 1984-85 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CLEIC BOARDS.
THIS REPRESENTED AN INCREASE OF 30 PER CENT OVER THE COMPENSATION PAYMENTS OF $3.25 MILLION IN THE PRECEDING YEAR. THE COMPENSATION PAYMENTS WERE PAID IN RESPECT OF 814 CASES INVOLVING CRIMINAL INJURIES AND EIGHT CASES INVOLVING LAW ENFORCEMENT INJURIES.
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS, MR MARTIN LEE, SAID IN HIS REPORT THAT MORE PEOPLE HAD BECOME AWARE OF THE BENEFITS AVAILABLE UNDER THE CRIMINAL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT INJURIES COMPENSATION SCHEME. SINCE THE SCHEMES INCEPTION IN 1973, THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF AWARDS GRANTED HAD REACHED $22.03 MILLION BY MARCH 1985.
MR LEE SAID THAT 1 195 APPLICATIONS WERE RECEIVED IN 1984-85, REPRESENTING ABOUT 15.7 PER CENT OF THE 7 632 CASES OF CRIMINAL INJURIES REPORTED TO THE POLICE IN THAT YEAR, HE SAID.
IN A PATTERN SIMILAR TO THAT IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR, VICTIMS OF ASSAULT AND WOUNDING AS WELL AS THOSE OF ROBBERY, THEFT AND BURGLARY MADE UP ABOUT 93 PER CENT OF THE PEOPLE APPLYING FOR COMPENSATION, THE REPORT SHOWED.
THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN APPLICATIONS ARISING FROM CASES INVOLVING FALLING OBJECTS. ALTOGETHER 18 SUCH APPLICATIONS WERE RECEIVED COMPARED WITH EIGHT IN 1983-84.
THERE WERE DECREASES IN APPLICATIONS ARISING FROM CASES OF HOMICIDE, MURDER AND MANSLAUGHTER DOWN TO 44 FROM '64 IN 1983-84 AND RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES - DOWN TO 13 FROM 26 IN 1983-84,
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DURING THE YEAR, THREE APPLICATIONS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT INJURIES COMPENSATION WERE RECEIVED, THE SAME NUMBER AS IN THE PRECEDING YEAR,
OF ALL THE APPLICATIONS RECEIVED DURING THE YEAR, THE MAJORITY WERE REFERRED BY THE POLICE (813), OR SUBMITTED BY THE VICTIMS THEMSELVES OR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS (351).
THE HIGHEST SINGLE AWARD OF $42 000 WAS PAID TO SEVEN SURVIVING DEPENDENT FAMILY MEMBERS OF A MURDER VICTIM, THE FAMILY HAD ALSO BEEN REFERRED TO THE SOCIAL SECURITY FIELD UNIT FOR PUBLIC ASSISTANCE.
/MR LE