XN000022-1972-11-02 — Page 6

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Thursday, November 2, 1972

KNIFING CRIMES MUST BE PREVENTED

The Hon. T.K. Ann today spoke of what he termed as a "vicious"

circle that was leading to more robberies and, in particular, to more

knifing erimes, and said this cycle must be broken up in order to reduce

the growing crime rate.

He said one way to do this is for local mass media not to report

for a while those arimes where the criminals cannot be caught red-handed,

but to emphasise on news of criminals being arrested and sentenced by

the courts.

Mr. Ann was speaking in the Legislative Council in support of a

notion of thanks for the Governor's address given earlier this month at the

opening of the Council's new session.

He explained that the "vicious" aircle begins with many bloody

robbery cases being given full publicity by the mass media, causing fears

among the general public of getting involved in cases of other people being

robbed.

As a result, he said, victims are singled out and, also because

the police are understaffed, robbers often get away with it easily.

Constant reports of these may serve to encourage would-be criminals

to take a chance and lead to yet more erimea.

Mr. Ann said silence will "terroriese the guilty still at large"

when the mass media voluntarily refrain from reporting knifing crimes,

although this suggestion "may seem shocking to a society enjoying freedom

of speech".

/He said