XN000022-1978-12-18 — Page 2

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1978

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SPECIAL SURVEY AIMS TO IMPROVE CRIME PREVENTION PLANNING

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ABOUT 65,000 PEOPLE AGED 12 AND OVER WILL BE INTERVIEWED BETWEEN JANUARY 8 AND 22, AS PART OF A SURVEY AIMED AT IMPROVING CRIME PREVENTION PLANNING.

RESULTS OF THE SURVEY, THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN HONG KONG, WILL ENABLE THE AUTHORITIES TO ASSESS HOW CRIME AFFECTS THE AVERAGE PERSON.

THE SPECIAL STUDY, KNOWN AS THE CRIME VICTIMISATION SURVEY, JS BEING CARRIED OUT BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE FIGHT CRIME COMMITTEE.

ANNOUNCING DETAILS OF THE SURVEY TODAY (MONDAY), STATISTICIAN MR. BERNARD WONG SAID MEMBERS OF ABOUT 20,000 OR ONE IN 60 HOUSEHOLDS CHOSEN AT RANDOM WOULD BE INTERVIEWED ABOUT CRIMINAL ACTS WHICH AFFECTED THEM DURING THE 1978 CALENDAR YEAR.

EACH HOUSEHOLD SELECTED FOR INCLUSION IN THE SURVEY WOULD RECEIVE, AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, A LETTER CALLING FOR THEIR CO-OPERATION IN THE SURVEY, HE SAID.

AN ADULT, USUALLY THE HOUSEHOLD HEAD, WOULD BE DESIGNATED AS THE MAIN RESPONDENT AND ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS AND CRIMES THAT MIGHT HAVE AFFECTED THE HOUSEHOLD AS A UNIT.

INFORMATION ABOUT CRIMES AND THE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ANY VICTIM WOULD BE OBTAINED FROM INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS.

MR. WONG STRESSED THAT ALL INFORMATION GIVEN WOULD BE HELD IN STRICTEST CONFIDENCE AND THAT ALL ENUMERATORS INVOLVED IN THE SURVEY WOULD CARRY SPECIAL IDENTITY CARDS.

+ THE SURVEY HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE STATISTICS ON THE INCIDENCE OF CRIME AND TO GIVE THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY A NEW INSIGHT INTO CRIME AND ITS VICTIMS, + HE SAID.

+FOR EXAMPLE, WE HOPE TO ESTABLISH WHETHER SOME PEOPLE ARE MORE LIKELY TO BECOME VICTIMS THAN OTHERS WHETHER AND HOW VICTIMS OF ONE TYPE OF CRIME DIFFER FROM THOSE OF ANOTHER TYPE- AND WHETHER THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PEOPLE SUFFERING MULTIPLE VICTIMISATIONS DIFFER FROM THOSE WHO EXPERIENCE A SINGLE VICTIMISATION.

+ IF WE KNOW MORE ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF BOTH OFFENDERS AND VICTIMS, THE NATURE OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CREATE A HIGH PROBABILITY OF CRIMINAL CONDUCT, CRIME PREVENTION MEASURES CAN BE MADE MORE EFFECTIVE.

+ IN ADDITION TO DETERMINING THE PROPORTION OF CRIMES THAT COME TO THE ATTENTION OF POLICE, THE SURVEY WILL BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE REPORTING RATES FOR VARIOUS TYPES OF CRIME AND THE REASONS FOR NOT NOTIFYING THE POLICE,+ MR. WONG SAID.

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