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To tackle the problem of prison over-crowding, Mr Lai said the Government had been working to increase the supply of penal places through redevelopment of existing penal institutions and converting vacated Vietnamese migrants (VM) detention centres into penal institutions.
"Improvement works have been carried out in existing penal institutions. We will be redeveloping the Stanley Prison area to provide an additional 700 prison places by 1998.
"Last year, we converted two vacated VM centres at Hei Ling Chau and Nei Kwu Chau into penal institutions, adding over 700 places to our penal accommodation.
"We are actively pursuing the conversion of the Chi Ma Wan (Lower) Detention Centre into a female drug detention treatment centre to provide an extra 250 places next year to relieve the particularly over-crowded female institutions," he said.
Mr Lai said the Government was also examining the feasibility of converting the ex-military camp at Lo Wu into a penal institution, which could provide up to 300 places.
"All these measures should provide an additional 1,250 places over the next three years," he said, adding that the Government was also actively looking for new sites to construct penal institutions elsewhere in the territory.
End/Saturday, October 14, 1995
Fire fighting and rescue services improvements sought
The Fire Services Department will secure improvements in the standard of services in the coming year through new resources and redeployment of existing resources within the department, the Secretary for Security, Mr Peter Lai, said today (Saturday).
Speaking at a briefing session for Legislative Councillors on the Policy Commitments, Mr Lai said in the coming year, the department would focus on strengthening its fire fighting capability, especially in the New Territories, with an additional 66 posts to reinforce the staff at existing status and the additional of two new fire stations and 161 posts in 1996-97.
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