XN000022-1982-10-06 — Page 22

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1982

POLICE AND THE COMMUNITY

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ONLY THE CRIMINALS BENEFIT IF THE COMMUNITY AND THE POLICE DO NOT SHOW CONFIDENCE IN EACH OTHER, THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THIS (WEDNESDAY) AFTERNOON.

SIR EDWARD POINTED OUT THAT HONG KONG IS NOW SERVED BY A HIGHLY COMPETENT AND PROFESSIONAL POLICE FORCE WHICH GOES ABOUT ITS DUTIES WITH LOYALTY, ENTHUSIASM AND FAIRNESS AND THAT IT IS RIGHT TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THOSE QUALITIES.

HE SAID THAT REGARDLESS OF THE FORCE'S EXPANSION AND QUALITY, THE SUCCESS OF POLICE EFFORTS IN COMBATTING CRIME REMAINS HEAVILY DEPENDENT ON THE SELF-HELP AND CO-OPERATION OF MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.

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+1 AM PLEASED TO NOTE THE STE AD ILY-IMPROVING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE POLICE AND THE PUBLIC TO WHICH THE DISTRICT BOARDS ARE MAKING A USEFUL CONTRIBUTION, HE SAID.

SIR EDWARD SAID THE INCIDENCE OF ROBBERY, IN ITS VARIOUS FORMS, IS A USEFUL INDICATION OF THE STATE OF CRIME GENERALLY AND, FROM AN AVERAGE OF 40 REPORTS A DAY IN 1974, ROBBERIES FELL TO 20 A DAY IN EARLY 1979 AND SINCE THEN IT HAS FLUCTUATED AT BETWEEN 20 AND 30 REPORTS A DAY.

+SO FAR THIS YEAR, THE DAILY AVERAGE HAS BEEN 24,+ HE ADDED.

BUT A DISTURBING FEATURE ON THE CRIME SCENE WAS THE GREATER USE OF FIREARMS.

+ IT WAS, THEREFORE, MOST ENCOURAGING TO LEARN IN JULY OF THE SUCCESSFUL POLICE OPERATION WHICH IDENTIFIED AND NEUTRALISED THE +BIG CIRCLE+ GANG OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, WHO HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN SOME FIVE MAJOR ROBBER IES, IN WHICH FIREARMS HAD BEEN USED,+ HE NOTED.

SINCE THE ARRESTS, IN WHICH A CONSIDERABLE QUANTITY OF FIREARMS WAS SEIZED, THIS BRUTAL FORM OF ROBBERY HAS DECLINED, SIR EDWARD SA ID.

REGRETTABLY, SIR EDWARD SAID BURGLARY IS ON THE INCREASE IN MID-1979, BURGLAR IES WERE BEING REPORTED AT A RATE OF 17 A DAY, BUT DURING 1981 AND SO FAR THIS YEAR THE FIGURE HAS RISEN TO 29.

+ IN OVER A QUARTER OF THE CASES REPORTED, THERE WAS NO FORCIBLE ENTRY INDICATING THAT MANY BURGLAR IES ARE CRIMES OF OPPORTUNITY. THIS UNDERLINES THE NEED FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO HELP THEMSELVES AND THE POLICE BY SAFE-GUARDING THE IR PREMISES,+ HE SAID.

SIR EDWARD ALSO SAID IT IS A RELIEF THAT THE ALARMING INCREASE IN JUVENILE CRIME OF THE LAST THREE YEARS APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN HALTED AND MAY HAVE BEEN REVERSED.

+THIS TREND IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE EFFORTS OF PARENTS, SCHOOLS AND THE GOVERNMENT. IT WILL NEED RENEWED EFFORTS TO ENSURE THAT THE DOWNWARD TREND CONTINUES, HE SAID.

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