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WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 1986
ADDITIONAL SAFEGUARDS NEEDED TO PREVENT POWER ABUSE ******
ADDITIONAL SAFEGUARDS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED TO PREVENT THE POSSIBLE ABUSE OF POLICE POWER ARISING FROM AN INCREASE IN POLICE INVESTIGATION, PROSECUTION AND ENFORCEMENT POWER IF OPTIONS TO COMBAT THE TRIAD PROBLEM ARE ADOPTED, DR THE HON HO KAM-FAİ SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
HE WAS LEADING THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN HIS CAPACITY AS CONVENER OF THE AD HOC GROUP THAT STUDIED THE DISCUSSION DOCUMENT ON OPTIONS FOR CHANGES IN THE LAW AND IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE LAW TO COUNTER THE TRIAD PROBLEM.
DR HO CONCEDED THAT AT PRESENT THERE WAS A TIGHT SYSTEM OF SUPERVISION WITHIN THE POLICE FORCE AND THE STANDARD OF TRAINING OF POLICE OFFICERS AND THE EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF POL ICE CONSTABLES WERE IMPROVING YEAR BY YEAR.
HE ALSO NOTED THAT THE CROWN'S PROSECUTING ARM WAS NOT A PART OF THE POLICE FORCE AND THERE WAS AN INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY.
AT THE SAME TIME, THE COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE POLICE OFFICE (CAPO) WAS UNDER THE SUPERVISION AND MONITORING OF AN INDEPENDENT BODY KNOWN AS THE POLICE COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE AND HONG KONG WAS AN OPEN SOCIETY WITH AN INCREASINGLY REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT AND A FREE PRESS WHICH WAS RIGHTLY CRITICAL OF ANY ABUSE OF POWER.
NEVERTHELESS, HE BELIEVED ADDITIONAL SAFEGUARDS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED THOUGH SOME OF THE OPTIONS IN THE DOCUMENT ALREADY HAD BUILT-IN SAFEGUARDS, IN THAT THEY MIGHT ONLY BE USED WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.
DR HO NOTED SUGGESTIONS BY DISTRICT BOARDS AND THE PUBLIC THAT CAPO SHOULD BE MADE INDEPENDENT OF THE POLICE AND THAT A SEPARATE BODY SHOULD BE SET UP TO MONITOR POLICE BEHAVIOUR.
SOME OF THE MEASURES PROPOSED IN THE OPTIONS SHOULD HAVE M LIMITED LIFE, AND BE ERASED FROM THE STATUTE BOOKS AFTER THEY HAD SERVED THE IR PURPOSES, HE SAID.
IF OPTIONS PROVED TO BE UNSUCCESSFUL AND INEFFECTIVE, THEY SHOULD NOT WAIT AROUND REDUNDANTLY FOR REPEAL IN SEVERAL YEARS' OR DECADES' TIME, OR, WORSE STILL, TO BE USED IN INAPPROPRIATE CIRCUMSTANCES.
+CONSIDERATION SHOULD BE GIVEN TO GIVING SOME OF THE OPTIONS A LIFE OF, SAY, FIVE YEARS AND MAKING THEM RENEWABLE AND AMENDA LE BY THIS COUNCIL, + HE SUGGESTED.
/DR HO