XN000022-1973-01-12 — Page 2

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Friday, January 12, 1973

WIDER POWERS FOR PREVENTIVE SERVICE OFFICERS PROPOSED

New Measure Against Drug Offenders

The Government proposes to give officers of the Preventive Service

wider powers as yet another measure to act against drug offenders.

For this purpose, the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill 1973

will soon be put forward to the Legislative Council.

The Bill seeks to provide an officer not below the rank of Revenue

Inspector with such powers as requiring a suspect to have his finger nails

pared and his hands washed so that the nails and water can be analysed.

It will also enable the officer to require the suspect to give

a specimen of his handwriting for comparison purposes.

Explaining the proposed legislation, a Government spokesman said

that such powers had already been conferred on police officers not below the rank of inspector under section 54 of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Chapter 134).

Although the responsibility for the enforcement of the ordinance

rested mainly with the police, he said the Preventive Service also played

an important role in this task.

"In order to enable the Preventive Service officers operate more

effectively, it is considered desirable to accord them the same powers under section 54 as their police counterparts.

The spokesman added that this would have the advantages of speeding

up the process of investigation and in reducing the number of witnesses who might be required to give evidence in any subsequent court proceedings,

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