XN000022-1984-07-11 — Page 30

WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 1984

28

HIGH RECOVERY RATE OF STOLEN VEHICLES

***

THE RECOVERY RATE OF STOLEN VEHICLES IN HONG KONG WAS EXTREMELY HIGH BY WORLD STANDARDS, THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WAS TOLD TODAY.

THE ACTING SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, THE HON G.L. MORTIMER SAID THE RECOVERY RATE HAD REMAINED CONSTANT AT ABOUT 70 PER CENT FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS AND THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR.

HE SAID THIS COMPARED WITH A RATE OF SOME 14 PER CENT IN THE UNITED STATES AND 40 PER CENT IN JAPAN.

ANSWER ING A QUESTION FROM THE HON CHEUNG YAN-LUNG, MR MORTIMER SAID THERE REMAINED SOME SCOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT AND HE COULD NOT SAY THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS TOTALLY SATISFIED WITH THE DETECTION RATE.

MR MORTIMER SAID THAT IN 1983, 4 901 VEHICLES WERE REPORTED MISSING AND 3 527, OR 72 PER CENT, WERE RECOVERED.

IN 1982, 3 777, OR 70.6 PER CENT, WERE RECOVERED, OUT OF 5 353 VEHICLES REPORTED MISSING AND IN 1981, 2 547, OR 70.2 PER CENT, WERE RECOVERED OUT OF 3 626.

STEPS BEING TAKEN TO COUNTER VEHICLE THEFT INCLUDED CRIME PREVENTION PUBLICITY AND POLICE OPERATIONS AIMED AT NEUTRAL IS ING GANGS INVOLVED, HE SAID.

+THROUGH THE USE OF ROAD BLOCKS, THE CHECK ING OF VEHICLES PARKED IN REMOTE OR UNUSUAL PLACES, AND VISITS TO BACK-STREET GARAGES, REPAIR SHOPS AND SPARE PARTS OUTLETS, THE POLICE ARE CONSTANTLY RECOVERING STOLEN VEHICLES,+ MR MORTIMER SAID.

+VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS AND RETAILERS HAVE BEEN ASKED TO CONSIDER WAYS OF MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR CRIMINALS TO CHANGE THE REGISTRATION AND OTHER IDENTIFYING MARKS ON VEHICLES AND OF IMPROVING THE SECURITY OF LOCKS AND IGNITION SYSTEMS.

MR MORTIMER SAID THAT ONE OF THE MAIN TARGETS OF THE 1984 FIGHT CRIME CAMPAIGN, WHICH WILL SOON BE ANNOUNCED, WOULD BE TO ADVISE THE PUBLIC ABOUT PRECAUTIONS THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN TO AVOID VEHICLE THEFT.

+I AM SURE THAT THIS TYPE OF CRIME IS BEST COMBATED BY THIS MULTI-FACETED APPROACH INVOLVING A JOINT EFFORT ON THE PART OF THE PUBLIC, THE POLICE AND THOSE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE MOTOR TRADE, MR MORTIMER SAID.

129

Page 30Page 31