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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1992
FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE TO GIVE OUR BRAVE AND COMPETENT POLICE FORCE ALL THE SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED. WE'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL THIS YEAR IN INCREASING POLICE RECRUITMENT. PARTLY AS A RESULT OF THAT, PARTLY AS
A RESULT OF CLOSING DOWN ONE OF THE CAMPS, PARTLY AS A RESULT OF BETTER MANAGEMENT OF POLICE RESOURCES, WE SHOULD SEE ON THE STREETS NEXT YEAR AN ADDITIONAL 800 POLICEMEN AND POLICEWOMEN I'D BETTER PUT IN VERY QUICKLY ALL OF WHOM WILL HELP US IN THE FIGUT AGAINST CRIME.
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SECONDLY, WE ARE PUTTING THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AT THE MOMENT, A BIG ORDINANCE WHICH WILL FIGHT TRIAL AND ORGANISED CRIME ACTIVITY AND MUCH MORE TOUGHLY.
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THIRDLY, THERE IS ANOTHER AREA AND IT'S ONE WHERE I AM VERY KEEN THAT WE SHOULD CO-OPERATE WITH CHINA. WE DO HAVE TO WORK WITH THE AUTHORITIES IN GUANGDONG, WE DO HAVE TO WORK WITH THE AUTHORITIES CHINA TO TACKLE SOME SORTS OF CRIME TOGETHER. THEY ARE A THREAT NOT ONLY TO OUR STABILITY AND PROSPERITY OF THE GROWING PROSPERITY I SHOULD SAY IN GUANGDONG, SO, I'LL BE TALKING ABOUT CO-OPERATION IN TACKLING SMUGGLING AND OTHER SORTS OF CRIME WHEN I GO UP TO PEKING. I MADE THE POINT YESTERDAY THAT, IN ADDITION TO GIVING THE POLICE ALL THE SUPPORT WE CAN IN TERMS OF RESOURCES, I THINK WE NEED то ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE LAW AND THE SUPPORT OF THE COURTS AND THAT,
THEREFORE, IT'S IMPORTANT TO INCREASE PENALTIES FOR, FOR EXAMPLE, CAR THEFT AND SMUGGLING AND THOSE ARE BOTH REAL SOCIAL MENACES AND WE'VE GOT TO STAMP THEM OUT WHEREVER WE CAN.
QUESTION:
I AM VERY HAPPY TO HEAR FROM MR PATTEN THAT THERE WILL BE INCREASE IN HOUSING EXPENSES, BUT I DO HAVE SOME VIEWS TO EXPRESS REGARDING THIS. IT SEEMS THAT, MR PATTEN, YOU HAVE MERELY CONCENTRATED ON ONE PARTICULAR SECTOR, THAT IS THE SANDWICH CLASS AND I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND MR PATTEN THT WE HAVE OVER 100,000 PEOPLE LIVING IN VERY CROWDED PRIVATE HOUSING. SO THE QUESTION IS, IN YOUR POLICY ADDRESS, YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT SOLUTIONS FOR THIS SANDWICH CLASS. SO, WHY HAVE YOU NEGLECTED THE NEED OF THE LOWER CLASSES?
ME.
GOVERNOR:
I DID ACTUALLY REFER TO HOUSING IN MORE GENERAL TERMS THAN THAT YESTERDAY, AND PERHAPS I SHOULD HAVE SAID EVEN MORE. BUT MY SPEECH AS IT STOOD WAS TWO HOURS AND I THINK THAT, IF I HAD GOT UP TO THREE HOURS OR FOUR HOURS, THE SORT OF LENGTH THAT PRESIDEN TCSTRO MIGHT SPEAK FOR, PEOPLE WOULD HAVE BEEN PRETTY FED UP WITH
BUT YOU ARE ENTIRELY RIGHT TO SAY THAT SANDWICH CLASS HOUSING PROBLEMS ARE ONLY PART OF OUR HOUSING PROBLEM. THAT'S WHY WE ARE COMMITTED, AS I SAID ΤΟ A PREVIOUS CALLER, TO SPENDING ABOUT 41 BILLION ON HOUSING OVERALL IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. THAT'S WHY THE HOUSING AUTHORITY AND THE HOUSING SOCIETY WILL BE COMPLETING ABOUT A 190,000 HOMES IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, WHICH WILL PROVIDE NEW HOUSING, NEW HOMES FOR ABOUT 650,000 PEOPLE. NOW, THAT BY ANY STANDARDS, IS A VERY CONSIDERABLE STEP FORWARD IN HOUSING PROVISION. SANDWICH CLASS HOUSING IS IMPORTANT AND THE PROPOSALS WE HAVE TO HELP ABOUT 13,000 FAMILIES ARE IMPORTANT THERE; BUT WHAT I WAS SAYING ABOUT A 190,000 OR THEREABOUTS, AND WHAT I HAVE JUST SAID TO YOU IS OF COURSE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT, AND YOU ARE QUITE RIGHT TO SAY THAT THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE IN HOUSING NEED, STILL PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE TO HELP.
/QUESTION: FIRST