XN000022-1983-05-10 — Page 6

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 1983

MORE ASK FOR +NO CONVICTION+ CERTIFICATE

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THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE OF 11 PER CENT IN REQUESTS FOR CERTIFICATES OF NO CRIMINAL CONVICTION IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR WHEN COMPARED WITH THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN 1982.

ADDRESSING THE LIONS CLUB OF THE NEW TERRITORIES DINNER MEETING THIS (TUESDAY) EVENING, THE SENIOR STAFF OFFICER OF THE IDENTIFICATION BUREAU, MR BRUCE FERGUSON, SAID THE POLICE PROCESSED 20 683 APPLICATIONS LAST YEAR.

**CERTIFICATES WERE GRANTED IN 20 111 CASES, REFUSED IN 477 CASES AND IN 95 CASES 'NO CONVICTION RECORDED' LETTERS WERE SENT,'' MR FERGUSON SAID.

THE CERTIFICATE WAS INTRODUCED IN 1978 AS A SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC BY WHICH PEOPLE WHO HAD APPLIED FOR A VISA TO GO TO OVERSEAS COUNTRIES COULD SUPPORT THEIR APPLICATION BY A LETTER FROM THE HONG KONG POLICE TO THE EFFECT THAT THEY HAD NEVER BEEN CONVICTED OF A CRIMINAL OFFENCE.

APPLICANTS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE HIS FINGERPRINTS TAKEN AND HIS PERSONAL PARTICULARS ARE CHECKED AGAINST POLICE RECORDS. DEPENDING ON THE RESULT OF THIS CHECK, ONE OF THE FOLLOWING LETTERS WILL BE ISSUED TO APPLICANTS :

CERTIFICATE ISSUED AS NO CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS HAVE BEEN TRACED

IN HONG KONG

CERTIFICATE REFUSED AS CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS ARE RECORDED IN HONG KONG

A LETTER TO THE EFFECT THAT, WHILE NO CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS ARE RECORDED AGAINST THE APPLICANT, HE OR SHE WAS FOUND GUILTY OF AN OFFENCE BUT THE MAGISTRATE ORDERED THAT NO CONVICTION BE RECORDED. (THIS LETTER CONCLUDES WITH AN EXPLANATION REGARDING THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH A MAGISTRATE MAY ORDER THAT A CONVICTION SHALL NOT BE RECORDED).

''AS EXPLAINED BRIEFLY IN THIS LETTER, AN ORDER THAT A CONVICTION SHALL NOT BE RECORDED IS MADE WHERE, ALTHOUGH THE CHARGE IS PROVED, OR ADMITTED, THERE ARE EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES RELATING TO THE OFFENCE OR THE OFFENDER SUCH AS TO RENDER IT UNFAIR TO BRAND THE OFFENDER, IN RELATION TO THE PARTICULAR OFFENCE, AS HAVING A CRIMINAL CONVICTION.

THE GENERAL EFFECT OF SUCH AN ORDER IS THAT IN SUBSEQUENT COURT PROCEEDINGS THE MATTER MAY NOT DE REFERRED TO AS A CONVICTION.

"AS A MATTER OF PRACTICE, THE POLICE MAINTAIN A RECORD OF SUCH ORDERS SINCE IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES THEY ARE NEEDED,'' MR FERGUSON SAID.

THE CORRECTNESS