WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1986
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MR JE AFFRESON SAID GIRLS WHO WERE IN NEED OF CARE AND PROTECTION, FOR EXAMPLE THOSE WHO WERE BEYOND THE CONTROL OF THEIR PARENTS, MIGHT BE BROUGHT BEFORE A JUVENILE COURT TO BE MADE SUBJECTS OF CARE AND PROTECTION ORDERS UNDER THE PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND JUVENILES ORDINANCE.
+THESE GIRLS WILL BE PLACED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE FOR SPECIFIED PERIODS DURING WHICH THEY WILL BE VISITED REGULARLY BY SOCIAL WORKERS,+ HE SAID.
+THEY MAY ALSO BE COMMITTED TO THE CARE AND CONTROL OF A WELFARE INSTITUTION EITHER RUN BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT OR BY A VOLUNTARY AGENCY.
MR JE AFFRESON NOTED THAT BETWEEN JANUARY 1981 AND SEPTEMBER 1986, THE POLICE HAD RECEIVED 7 912 REPORTS OF MISSING GIRLS UNDER THE AGE OF 16.
A TOTAL OF 1 357 MISSING GIRLS WERE LOCATED IN 1984. THE FIGURES FOR 1985 AND THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 1986 WERE 1 431 AND 1 092 RESPECTIVELY.
MR JE AFFRESON SAID STATISTICS ON THE LOCATIONS WHERE MISSING GIRLS WERE FOUND ARE NOT AVAILABLE EXCEPT WHERE MISSING GIRLS WERE DISCOVERED EITHER DURING POLICE RAIDS OR WHEN ARRESTED BY THE POLICE FOR CRIMINAL OFFENCES.
+THE NUMBER OF MISSING GIRLS FOUND UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES IS RELATIVELY SMALL, REPRESENTING 6.5 PER CENT AND 2.9 PER CENT OF ALL MISSING GIRLS FOUND IN 1984 AND 1985 RESPECTIVELY, HE SAID.
MR JE AFFRESON SAID THAT UPON RECEIVING A REPORT THAT A GIRL WAS MISSING, THE POLICE WOULD ASK FOR A FULL DESCRIPTION OF HER, AFTER WHICH APPROPRIATE IMMEDIATE ACTION WOULD BE TAKEN INCLUDING A SEARCH AND CHECKING TO SEE IF THE GIRL HAD BEEN ARRESTED OR ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL.
IF AFTER THESE EFFORTS THE GIRL HAD STILL NOT BEEN LOCATED, THE POLICE WOULD CIRCULATE A MISSING PERSON MESSAGE TO ALL POLICE FORMATIONS AND THE CASE WOULD ALSO BE INVESTIGATED BY THE APPROPRIATE POLICE UNIT.
MR JE AFFRE SON SAID THAT WITH THE CONSENT OF THE PERSON WHO REPORTED THE GIRL MISSING, THE PRESS MIGHT BE ASKED TO HELP PUBLICISE THE GIRL'S DESCRIPTION AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HER DISAPPEARANCE.
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