XN000022-1983-08-10 — Page 19

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1983

MR WILLIAMSON GAVE THE FIGURES IN REPLY TO QUESTIONS RAISED BY THE HON SELINA CHOW.

TO DATE THE BIRTH RATE IN THE JUBILEE TRANSIT CENTRE HAD BEEN MARGINALLY HIGHER THAN THAT IN THE KAI TAK TRANSIT CENTRE AND THE CLOSED CENTRES, HE SAID.

AMONG OTHER REASONS FOR THIS HIGHER RATE, HE CITED THE AGE AND ORIGINS OF THE REFUGEES IN THIS CENTRE AND THEIR LENGTH OF STAY IN HONG KONG.

MR WILLIAMSON SAID THAT CARITAS MANAGED THE JUBILEE CENTRE +VERY WELL IN VERY DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES+

HE ADDED THAT IT ALSO RAN A FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION PROGRAMME AT THE CENTRE FOR MARRIED COUPLES AS WELL AS FOR GIRLS IN THE RELEVENT AGE BRACKET.

EFFORT MADE TO IMPROVE SECURITY

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THE RATE OF PERSONAL CRIME IN TEMPORARY HOUSING AREAS WAS 39.4 PER THOUSAND OF THE POPULATION AT THE AGE OF 12 YEARS AND ABOVE, ACCORDING TO THE 1981 CRIME VICTIMISATION SURVEY CITED TODAY IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL BY THE ACTING SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, THE HON PATRICK WILLIAMSON.

BY COMPARISON, THE RATE WERE 41.3 IN PUBLIC HOUSING AND 37.4 IN PRIVATE HOUSING AREAS.

MR WILLIAMSON CITED THE SURVEY IN REPLY TO A QUESTION ON THE ISSUE BY DR THE HON HO KAM-FAI.

HE POINTED OUT THAT SEPARATE STATISTICS WERE NOT KEPT OF CRIMES IN TEMPORARY HOUSING AREAS. HOWEVER, THE SURVEY GAVE SOME INDICATION OF THE SITUATION, THOUGH THE INFORMATION MUST BE TREATED WITH CAUTION, AS THEY INCLUDED UNREPORTED CRIME.

AND, TEMPORARY HOUSING IN THE SURVEY INCLUDED SQUATTER AREAS AS WELL, HE EXPLAINED.

THE STATE OF LAW AND ORDER IN TEMPORARY HOUSING AREAS WAS THEREFORE NOT DRAMATICALLY WORSE THAN IN OTHER RESIDENTIAL AREAS, MR WILLIAMSON SAID.

+NEVERTHELESS, THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE HIGHER INCIDENCE OF CERTAIN TYPES OF CRIME, IN PARTICULAR BURGLARY.

+POLICE AND HOUSING OFFICERS ARE LIAISING ON HOW TO IMPROVE SECURITY IN THESE AREAS, MR WILLIAMSON SAID.

WHILE THERE WAS NO STATISTICAL INFORMATION ON ENFORCEMENT, MR WILLIAMSON SAID THAT IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR, THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE REQUESTED REGIONAL COMMANDERS TO EXAMINE WAYS OF IMPROVING THEIR METHODS OF POLICING THESE AREAS, WHICH WERE OFTEN REMOTE AND DIFFICULT TO INCLUDE IN NORMAL BEAT SYSTEMS.

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