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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1992
"THE COMMUNITY LOOKS TO OUR BRAVE POLICE FORCE, TO THE ICAC AND TO THE JUDICIARY TO PROTECT ITS MEMBERS AND THEIR PERSONAL RIGHTS AND PROPERTY, HE SAID.
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OF
MR PATTEN SAID HONG KONG HAD ALREADY ACHIEVED A HIGH LEVEL POLICING WITH 460 OFFICERS PER 100,000 OF THE POPULATION (COMPARED WITH 400 IN LONDON AND 350 IN TOKYO).
"BUT WE WANT TO MAINTAIN THESE LEVELS, AND OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS WE WERE LOSING MORE OFFICERS FROM THE FORCE THAN WE WERE ABLE TO RECRUIT.
"FORTUNATELY, THE PACKAGE ANNOUNCED IN MAY ΤΟ BOOST THE RECRUITMENT OF JUNIOR POLICE OFFICERS HAS WORKED.
"THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS RECRUITED SO FAR THIS YEAR STANDS AT 1,261: 78% HIGHER THAN THE FIGURE FOR THE EQUIVALENT PERIOD IN 1991.
"MORE RECRUITS AND BETTER DEPLOYMENT OF THE FORCE MEAN THAT WE CAN PUT MORE POLICE OFFICERS ON TO THE STREETS WHERE IT COUNTS.
"OUR
PLAN IS TO HAVE AROUND 800 EXTRA POLICE OFFICERS ON STREETS NEXT YEAR.'
THE
MR PATTEN SAID TRIAD AND ORGANISED CRIME CONTINUED ΤΟ MENACE THE PEACE AND SECURITY OF THE COMMUNITY.
"WE ARE DETERMINED TO COMBAT THEM. THE ORGANISED AND SERIOUS CRIMES BILL NOW BEFORE THIS COUNCIL WILL BE A MAJOR WEAPON IN THIS BATTLE," HE SAID.
THERE WAS STILL A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH CROSS-BORDER CRIME.
"I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH SMUGGLING, INCLUDING CAR THEFT, AND I AM DETERMINED THAT THE PENALTIES FOR INVOLVEMENT IN THESE ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY.
"I AM PARTICULARLY CONCERNED BY CROSS-BORDER TRIAD ACTIVITIES AND THE VIOLENT CRIME WHICH THIS HAS BROUGHT TO OUR STREETS.
"I WELCOME THE CO-OPERATION OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT IN POSTING HERE TWO SENIOR PUBLIC SECURITY BUREAU OFFICERS TO ASSIST WITH ANTI-CRIME LIAISON.
"THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN A NUMBER OF SUCCESSES AS A RESULT OF THE CLOSER CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES: THE RETURN OF CRIMINAL OFFENDERS TO HONG KONG, FOR EXAMPLE, AND THE EXCHANGE OF INTELLIGENCE AND INFORMATION ON CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES,' HE SAID.
"
MR PATTEN SAID A RASH OF RECENT INCIDENTS INVOLVING POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS INCURSIONS BY CHINESE VESSELS INTO HONG KONG'S TERRITORIAL WATERS HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF CROSS-BORDER CO-OPERATION.
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HE SAID: "IF CHINA IS WORRIED ABOUT SMUGGLING, I CAN SAY WITHOUT EQUIVOCATION 'SO ARE WE'. BUT THE RIGHT WAY TO DEAL WITH THIS PROBLEM IS THROUGH PLANNED, SENSITIVE AND EFFECTIVE CO-OPERATION BETWEEN PROPERLY CONTROLLED FORCES, ACTING WITHIN THEIR OWN BOUNDARIES.
"I AM
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