SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 1988
CRIME REPORTING RATE ON THE RISE: SURVEY
THE OVERALL CRIME REPORTING RATE HAD INCREASED FROM 18 PER CENT IN 1978 TO 29 PER CENT IN 1981 AND 32 PER CENT IN 1986.
THIS WAS ONE OF THE MAJOR FINDINGS OF THE CRIME VICTIMISATION SURVEY Released TODAY (SUNDAY). THE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT IN JANUARY 1987 TO ASSESS THE LEVEL OF CRIMINAL VICTIMISATIONS IN 1986.
THE SURVEY WAS BASED ON INTERVIEWS WITH ABOUT 19,000 HOUSEHOLDS, COMPRISING A TOTAL OF 55,000 PERSONS AGED 12 AND ABOVE.
THIS SURVEY WAS THE THIRD OF ITS KIND CONDUCTED AUSPICES OF THE FIGHT CRIME COMMITTEE.
UNDER THE
1979
THE FIRST AND SECOND, SURVEYS WERE CARRIED OUT IN JANUARY AND JANUARY 1982 RESPECTIVELY, THE FINDINGS OF THE LATEST SURVEY ARE PUBLISHED IN A REPORT ENTITLED "CRIME AND ITS VICTIMS IN HONG KONG 1986".
THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY INDICATED THAT THE REPORTING RATES FOR SPECIFIC CRIMES RANGED FROM A HIGH OF 89 PER CENT FOR THEFT OF VEHICLE TO A LOW OF THREE PER CENT FOR HOUSEHOLD THEFT OTHER THAN BURGLARY.
THE REPORTING RATE FOR VIOLENT CRIMES WAS 38 PER CENT: FOR PERSONAL CRIMES OF THEFT, 39 PER CENT; AND FOR HOUSEHOLD CRIMES, 20 PER CENT.
FEMALE VICTIMS WERE MORE LIKELY THAN MALE VICTIMS TO REPORT CRIME. THERE WAS A GENERAL TENDENCY FOR THE REPORTING RATE TO INCREASE WITH THE AGE OF VICTIMS.
GENERALLY, THE REPORTING RATE TENDED TO GO UP WITH THE VALUE OF LOSSES. INJURED VICTIMS WERE MORE LIKELY TO REPORT CRIME.
FOR PERSONAL CRIMES OF THEFT, THE MOST FREQUENTLY CITED REASON FOR REPORTING CRIME WAS THAT IT WAS A PREREQUISITE TO THE REPLACEMENT OF DOCUMENTS OR THE CLAIMING OF INSURANCE.
LOSSES
CONCERNING THEFT OF VEHICLE AND BURGLARY, THE MAJOR REASONS THAT VICTIMS REPORTED CRIME WERE THAT THEY HOPRD ΤΟ RECOVER AND TO SEE THE OFFENDERS ARRESTED.
IN ALL THREE SURVEYS, MOST RESPONDENTS SAW NO NEED TO CRIME EITHER BECAUSE THEY HAD NOT SUFFERED SERIOUS LOSSES OR THE CRIME WAS MINOR.
WHEN COMPARED WITH 1981, MORE RESPONDENTS IN THE LATEST SAID THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO TAKE TIME TO REPORT CRIME.
REPORT BECAUSE
SURVEY
/ADDITIONAL DATA