XN000022-1981-04-02 — Page 4

THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 1981

3

REPORT OF THE WORK ING GROUP ON JUVENILE CRIME

******

THE WORKING GROUP FORMED BY THE FIGHT CRIME COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE THE UPSURGE IN JUVENILE CRIME HAS FOUND VARIOUS FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE TREND ALTHOUGH IT COULD NOT IDENTIFY ANY SINGLE MAIN CONTRIBUTORY ONE. IT HAS ALSO MADE WIDE RANGING RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNTERACT THE UPSURGE.

THE WORKING GROUP CONSISTED OF THREE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS

DR HO KAM-FAI AND MR PANG HANG-YIN OF THE FIGHT CRIME COMMITTEE, AND MRS CHAN WONG SHUI OF THE BOYS' AND GIRLS' CLUBS ASSOCIATION - AND 11 OFFICIALS REPRESENTING THE HOME AFFAIRS, SOCIAL SERVICES AND SECURITY BRANCHES, THE SOCIAL WELFARE AND EDUCATION DEPARTMENTS AND THE ROYAL HK POLICE FORCE. THE CONVENOR WAS MR NIGEL FRENCH, PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF HOME AFFAIRS BRANCH.

MR FRENCH EXPLAINED THAT THE RISE IN THE JUVENILE CRIME RATE WAS REMARKABLE AND DISTURBING IN THAT IT WAS SO SUDDEN AND STEEP, THAT IT WAS UNEXPECTED, AND THAT IT DID NOT HAPPEN EARLIER.

RECORDS SHOW THAT WHILE BEFORE 1978 THE RATE (1.E. THE NUMBER OF PROSECUTIONS OF JUVENILES PER 100 000 IN THE 7 - 15 AGE GROUP) HAD REMAINED STABLE AT BETWEEN 150 AND 200 EACH YEAR, THERE HAD BEEN AN ALARMING 250 PER CENT INCREASE SINCE THEN. THE FIGHT CRIME COMMITTEE WAS THEREFORE ASKED BY THE GOVERNOR TO INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE AND TO SUGGEST REMEDIAL MEASURES.

OUTLINING THE MAJOR FINDINGS OF THE WORKING GROUP, MR FRENCH SAID THE PRECONDITIONS FOR A RISE IN JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AND CRIME ALL EXISTED WELL BEFORE 1979.

+ VARIOUS NEW FACTORS HAVE EMERGED AS WELL. IT IS CLEAR THAT MANY FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO THE UPSURGE AND THE WORKING GROUP FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO IDENTIFY CONCLUSIVELY ANY SINGLE MAIN CONTRIBUTORY ONE. ONE POSSIBLE SUCH FACTOR HOWEVER MIGHT BE DELAYED EFFECTS OF THE PHASED INTRODUCTION OF COMPULSORY EDUCATION IN 1978.

+WE HAVE FOUND CONSIDERABLE EVIDENCE FROM OUR RESEARCHES TO SUPPORT THIS,+ HE ADDED. IT IS EVIDENT THAT THE INTRODUCTION OF UNIVERSAL JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION IS STILL IN A TRANSITIONAL STAGE AND THAT STUDENTS AS WELL AS TEACHERS AND PARENTS ARE TAKING TIME TO ADJUST TO THE CHANGES.

+THE RISE IN JUVENILE CRIME COULD BE A SIDE-EFFECT OF THIS PERIOD OF ADJUSTMENT BUT OTHER FACTORS HAVE ALSO UNDOUBTEDLY CONTRIBUTED TO VARYING EXTENTS, HE SAID.

MR FRENCH EMPHASISED HOWEVER THAT JUVENILE OFFENDERS STILL CONSTITUTED LESS THAN ONE HALF OF ONE PER CENT OF THE JUVENILE POPULATION AND THAT THE JUVENILE CRIME RATE WAS STILL RELATIVELY LOW IT WAS LOWER THAN THE OVERALL, ADULT AND MOST PARTICULARLY THE YOUTH (16 - 20 YEARS OLD) CRIME RATES.

+ IT SHOULD THEREFORE NOT BE CONCLUDED THAT COMPULSORY EDUCATION IS UNDESIRABLE SIMPLY FOR THE SIDE-EFFECTS ON SOME YOUNG PEOPLE AT RISK OF MIXING A WIDER CROSS-SECTION OF STUDENTS TOGETHER, HE SAID.

/MANY OF