XN000022-1982-06-25 — Page 2

FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 1982

NEW HEADQUARTERS FOR IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT

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THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT, AS A RESULT OF A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE BUSINESS, HAS OUTGROWN ITS 14 FLOORS OF OFFICE SPACE IN INTERNATIONAL BUILDING WHERE IT HAS BEEN FOR THE PAST 18 YEARS. IT IS MOVING TO A MODERN COMMERCIAL BUILDING IN EAST TSIM SHA TSUI TODAY JUNE 25). THE NEW PREMISES, FOR WHICH A LOWER RENTAL WILL BE PAL WILL GIVE THE DEPARTMENT ALMOST 6 000 SQUARE METRES MORE SPACE EXPAND ITS OVERCROWDED OFFICES AND HOUSE ITS NEW COMPUTERS.

A STAFF OF 201 AT THE DEPARTMENT'S INCEPTION IN 1961 HAS GROWN TO 3 624 WHO NOW HANDLE AN EVER INCREASING WORKLOAD. BETWEEN 1961 AN 1981. THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS CLEARED ROSE FROM 2.4 MILLION TO 24 MILLION, INVESTIGATIONS FROM 570 TO 12 300 AND PROSECUTIONS FROM 130 TO 3 000. THESE WERE IN ADDITION TO THE 1.16 MILLION ENQUIRIES, 2.5 MILLION APPLICATIONS FOR PERSONAL DOCUMENTATION, 713 300D REGISTRATIONS OF PERSONS (INCLUDING REPLACEMENTS OF IDENTITY CARDS), 112 000 REGISTRATIONS OF BIRTHS AND DEATHS AND 51 000 REGISTRATIONS OF MARRIAGES HANDLED

IN 1981.

THE MUCH EXPANDED WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT IS BEST ILLUSTRATED BY THE FACT THAT THE DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION NOW WEARS A TOTAL OF FOUR OFFICIAL HATS, INCLUDING THAT OF COMMISSIONER OF REGISTRATION, REGISTRAR OF MARRIAGE, AND REGISTRAR OF BIRTHS AND DEATHS. THE LATTER THREE FUNCTIONS WERE AMALGAMATED INTO THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT BETWEEN 1977 AND 1979.

MR RON BRIDGE, THE BEARER OF ALL THESE TITLES, SAID +THE COMPLEXITY OF OUR WORK THESE DAYS MEANS THAT WE MUST GIVE OUR STAFF AN ALL-ROUND TRAINING SO THAT THEY ARE EQUIPPED TO FACE ALL EVENTUALITES. FOR INSTANCE, WHO COULD HAVE PREDICTED, FIVE YEARS AGO THE SCALE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WERE THRUST ON US BY THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE AND THE INFLUX OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM ACROSS THE BORDER.+

+ IDEALLY, WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR IN POTENTIAL IMMIGRATION OFFICERS IS TACT AND DIPLOMACY. ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS, IMPORTANT AS THEY ARE, ARE NOT EVERYTHING. FOR IMMIGRATION OFFICERS ARE I IN A SENSE AMBASSADORS BECAUSE THEY ARE USUALLY THE FIRST GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS VISITORS TO HONG KONG COME IN CONTACT WITH. THEY MUST THEREFORE KNOW HOW TO ASK THE NECESSARY QUESTIONS WITHOUT APPEARING TO BE OFFENSIVE. THEY CAN CREATE A FAVOURABLE IMAGE IN THE MINDS OF OUR VISITORS OR GIVE US A BAD NAME, MR BRIDGE ADDED.

OFFICER RECRUITMENT IS USUALLY AT THE ASSISTANT IMMIGRATION OFFICER (AIO) LEVEL WHICH REQUIRES A CANDIDATE TO BE IN POSSESSION OF EITHER A UNIVERSITY DEGREE, A POST-SECONDARY COLLEG= DIPLOMA, OR A SCHOOL CERTIFICATE. OUR RECRUITS AME PUT THROUGH A COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAMME TO GIVE THEM THE TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW TO ENFORCE IMMIGRATION LAWS AND CATCH ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. FUCT DRILL, PHYSICAL TRAINING AND SELF-DEFENCE FORM PART OF THE INDUCTION TO IMPROVE THE RECRUITS' PHYSICAL FITNESS SO THAT THEY CAN FACE STRESS AND DEMANDING SITUATIONS.