THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1975
REFERRING TO A SUGGESTION BY THE HON. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN TO SET UP FIGHT VIOLENT CRIME COMMITTEES IN ALL CITY DISTRICTS, MR. DAVIES SAID SUCH COMMITTEES ALREADY EXISTED IN A
DIFFERENT FORM. THESE ARE THE CITY DISTRICT COMMITTEES CHAIRED BY CITY DISTRICT OFFICERS AND COMPRISING REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES OF OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND LEADING MEMBERS OF THE DISTRICT COMMUNITY.
HOWEVER, IN ORDER TO FACILITATE THE DAY-TO-DAY CO-ORDINATION OF THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME, HE SAID, PROPOSALS HAD BEEN EVOLVED TO ENABLE THE CITY DISTRICT COMMITTEES TO APPOINT STANDING SUB-COMMITTEES WITH SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE DETAILED PLANNING, CO-ORDINATION AND MONITORING OF DISTRICT FIGHT VIOLENT CRIME ACTIVITIES.
HE EXPECTED THAT THESE STANDING SUB-COMMITTEES WOULD BE SET UP IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE AND ITS MEMBERS WOULD INCLUDE POLICE REPRESENTATIVES, UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE CITY DISTRICT COMMITTEES AND, WHERE APPROPRIATE, REPRESENTATIVES FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
ON 'THE STANDARD OF LIVING IN PRISONS, MR. DAVIES ASSURED COUNCIL THAT THE PRISON AUTHORITIES WERE ALIVE TO THE NECESSITY OF ENSURING THAT INMATES ARE PROPERLY SUPERVISED IN A DISCIPLINED ENVIRONMENT, WORK HARD AND ARE NOT PROVIDED WITH FACILITIES ABOVE THOSE WHICH ARE THE MINIMUM ESSENTIAL.
HE POINTED OUT THAT THERE WAS A VARIETY OF RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED ON PRISONERS, AND THESE SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN COMPARING STANDARDS GENERALLY.
+ANY PERSON WHO HAS VISITED STANLEY WHICH HOUSES 43 PER CENT OF THE PRISON POPULATION, WILL NOT HAVE DEPARTED WITH A FEELING THAT THE STANDARDS ARE UNDULY HIGH,+ HE SAID.
THE AVERAGE CELL IN STANLEY PRISON, HE SAID, WAS 54 SQUARE FEET AND ON MONDAY NIGHT 1,700 OR 68 PER CENT OF THE 2,494 PRISONERS WERE IN CELLS ACCOMMODATING THREE PRISONERS, GIVING AN AVERAGE OF 18 SQUARE FEET PER PRISONER.
THE TOILET FACILITIES THERE, HE ADDED, CONSISTED OF A BUCKET IN A CORNER AND PRISONERS ARE LOCKED UP WITH THESE 'FACILITIES' FOR TWELVE HOURS A DAY.
IN STANLEY WHERE THE CONDITIONS ARE OVERCROWDED, HE POINTED OUT, THREE OUT OF FOUR PRISONERS RELEASED IN 1971-73 HAVE RETURNED TO SERVE A FURTHER SENTENCE.
IN VICTORIA REMAND CENTRE, HE WENT ON, MORE THAN HALF THOSE IN REMAND ARE THREE TO A CELL, THE DIMENSIONS OF WHICH VARY FROM 40 SQ. FT. TO 60 SQ. FT. IN THE NEW INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING THE VERY SUCCESSFUL DETENTION CENTRES, THE FLOOR AREAS PER DETAINEE ARE GREATER BUT THE SUCCESS RATE IS ALSO GREATER, HE ADDED.
HE POINTED OUT THAT IN THE CASE OF DETENTION CENTRES FOR YOUNG OFFENDERS, PRISON ROUTINE VAS DELIBERATELY MADE MORE DEMANDING.
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