XN000022-1973-01-26 — Page 2

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Friday, January 26, 1973

PRISONS SERVICES TO BE FURTHER IMPROVED

Commissioner Speaks On Crime, Prisons And Public

Hong Kong's prison services are being reviewed with the aim of improving them further so that they can meet the demands of the future.

This was revealed today by the Commissioner of Prisons, Mr. Tom Garner, at a luncheon meeting of the Hong Kong Association of Pharmaceutical Industry.

Mr. Garner said that while research into crime was still in its infancy, his department had not been complacent and had come to grips with the problem of compiling sufficient statistical data which will be meaningful in the years ahead."

In reviewing the planning of programmes for prisoners, he said, his department had set a course which called for a review of prison industries and its vocational training and after-care programmes.

He added: "We intend to review our nursing of sick prisoners and train more staff as nursing auxiliaries."

It was also planned, he went on, to send more prison staff

abroad for further training and to gain wider experience.

One officer was already undergoing a 12 month course at Coleg Harlech in Wales and another was studying physical education at Carnegie College in Leeds, he said.

Mr. Garner stressed that prison staff must be of high calibre with humanitarian ideals and of good education to meet the challenging task of dealing with all types of offenders.

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