XN000022-1985-03-04 — Page 7

MONDAY, MARCH 4, 1985

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JOINT EXERCISE

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A JOINT GOVERNMENT AND MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS EXERCISE WILL BE HELD ON MARCH 6, 13, 14 AND 15. THIS IS ONE OF A SERIES OF ROUTINE EXERCISES DESIGNED TO TEST THE USE OF GOVERNMENT, POLICE AND MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS.

THERE WILL BE NO DEPLOYMENT OF POLICE OR MILITARY UNITS ON THE GROUND DURING THE EXERCISE, AND THERE WILL BE NO INTERFERENCE WITH TRAFFIC OR INCONVENIENCE TO THE PUBLIC.

LITTERBUGS PAY $6 MILLION IN FINES

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A TOTAL OF 38 282 LITTERBUGS WERE CONVICTED BY COURTS FOR VARIOUS LITTER OFFENCES LAST YEAR RESULTING IN FINES OF MORE THAN $6 MILLION. THIS COMPARED WITH 42 820 AND 42 065 IN 1983 AND 1982 RESPECTIVELY,

+WE ARE VERY ENCOURAGED BY THE FIGURE, AS IT SHOWS THAT OUR MESSAGE TO KEEP HONG KONG CLEAN IS GETTING ACROSS TO THE PUBLIC AND THAT BAD HABITS CAN BE BROKEN, SAID A USD SPOKESMAN.

SINCE THE RECORDS OF LITTER OFFENDERS WERE COMPUTER ISED IN SEPTEMBER 1982, THE SPOKESMAN SAID SOME 6 000 RECIDIVISTS WERE REGISTERED AND MORE THAN $1.6 MILLION IN FINES COLLECTED.

APART FROM PROVIDING ACCURATE DATA OF THOSE BROUGHT UP BEFORE THE COURTS, THE COMPUTERISED RECORDS ALSO THREW UP MANY INTERESTING POINTERS OF THE +REPEATING OFFENDERS.+

ONE RECIDIVIST WHO HAD A RECORD OF 12 CONVICTIONS HAD BEEN FINED A TOTAL OF $4 635 SINCE SEPTEMBER 1982.

THE BULK OF RECIDIVISTS ARE MEN AND ALMOST HALF THE REPEATER OFFENDERS ARE THOSE AGED BETWEEN 40 AND 59, FOLLOWED BY THE 30-39 AGE GROUP.

AND MOST OF THE REPEATER OFFENDERS ARE FROM THE SHAM SHUI PO, YAU MA TEI AND KOWLOON CITY DISTRICTS.

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