XN000022-1979-02-28 — Page 23

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1979

$1,090M FOR LAW AND ORDER SERVICES

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THE GOVERNMENT WILL SPEND $1,090 MILLION IN THE COMING FINANCIAL YEAR, OR NINE PER CENT OF THE YEAR'S TOTAL EXPENDITURE, ON LAW AND ORDER SERVICES.

ANNOUNCING THIS IN HIS BUDGET SPEECH IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY), THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, THE HON. PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, SAID IT WAS INTENDED TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE POLICE FORCE BY SOME 2,100 POSTS, ACCOMPANIED BY IMPROVEMENTS TO AMENITIES FOR POL ICEMEN AND THE IR FAMILIES.

+FOLLOWING THE VISIT OF ADVISERS FROM THE HOME OFFICE IN EARLY 1978, MAJOR REVIEWS OF THE POLICE FORCE TOOK PLACE DURING 1978-79 AND ARE STILL CONTINUING. PARTICULAR ATTENTION HAS BEEN GIVEN TO COMMUNICATIONS WITHIN THE FORCE AND BETWEEN THE FORCE AND THE PUBLIC, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY SAID.

+IN A FORCE WITH AN ESTABLISHMENT OF SOME 22,700 POSTS, THIS IS AN AREA REQUIRING CONTINUING ATTENTION, PARTICULARLY IN VIEW OF THE OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR SOME 2,100 ADDITIONAL POSTS IN 1979-80,+ HE ADDED.

OTHER APPROVED PROPOSALS AIMED AT IMPROVING MORALE, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY SAID, INCLUDED THE PROVISION OF COLOUR TELEVISION SETS IN REST ROOMS IN POLICE STATIONS, THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SPORTS CENTRE AND A STAFF CLUB AT KAI TAK AND THE IMPROVEMENT OF GRANTS FOR WELFARE,.

ADDED.

+FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS ARE CURRENTLY BEING CONSIDERED, + HE

THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY SAID THE FORCE TRAINING PROGRAMME HAD ALSO BEEN REVIEWED, AND PROPOSALS TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE POLICE AND DETECTIVE TRAINING SCHOOLS HAD BEEN INCLUDED IN THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME.

+COMPREHENSIVE PROPOSALS FOR ON THE JOB AND PART-TIME RELEASE TRAINING ARE CURRENTLY BEING EXAMINED, AND PROVISION FOR THIS HAS BEEN INCLUDED IN THE DRAFT ESTIMATES,+ HE SAID.

THE FINANICAL SECRETARY ALSO NOTED THAT IT WAS ENCOURAGING THAT VIOLENT CRIMES AND SERIOUS CRIMES HAD CONTINUED TO DROP, AS REFLECTED IN THE PRISON MUSTER FROM 7,184 IN JANUARY 1978 TO 6,406 IN JANUARY 1979.

THE LATTER FIGURE DID NOT INCLUDE 1,013 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, A FEATURE WHICH COULD BE EXPECTED TO FIGURE MORE PROMINENTLY DURING 1979, MR. HADDON-CAVE SAID.

+THE SCALE OF THE EXODUS FROM VIETNAM IS PARTICULARLY ALARMING WHEN SEEN AS AN INCREMENT TO THE LARGE NUMBERS ARRIVING, LEGALLY AND ILLEGALLY, FROM CHINA, HE SAID.