XN000022-1986-01-21 — Page 5

TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1986

FUNDS SOUGHT FOR BETTER POLICE WORK

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PLANS OVER FIVE YEARS FOR SPLITTING THE PRESENT KOWLOON

- TO PROVIDE POLICE REGION INTO TWO REGIONS-- EAST AND WEST A MORE EFFECTIVE STRUCTURE FOR THE POLICING OF THE AREA WILL BE EXAMINED BY THE FINANCE COMMITTEE TOMORROW (WEDNESDAY).

FOR THIS, AN INITIAL SUM OF $103.6 MILLION FOR PUTTING UP AND EQUIPPING TWO NEW BUILDINGS WILL BE REQUIRED, TOGETHER WITH AN ANNUAL RECURRENT SUM OF $22.7 MILLION.

A NEW BUILDING WILL BE REQUIRED FOR THE KOWLOON EAST REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS AT SAU MAU PING, TO COVER FOUR LAND DISTRICTS: KWUN TONG, SAU MAU PING, WONG TAI SIN AND JUNK BAY, AND THE NON-TERRITORIAL MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY DISTRICT.

AND A NEW BUILDING TO SERVE AS AN OPERATIONAL BASE AT MONG KOK WILL BE REQUIRED FOR THE KOWLOON WEST REGION, COVERING THE FOUR LAND DISTRICTS OF KOWLOON CITY, MONG KOK, SHAM SHUI PO AND YAU MA TEI, AND THE NON-TERRITORIAL AIRPORT DISTRICT, WITH THE PRESENT ARGYLE STREET HEADQUARTERS BEING RETAINED.

A LEAD TIME OF FIVE YEARS STARTING FROM THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR WOULD BE REQUIRED FOR WORK ON THE BUILDINGS.

THE PROPOSED CHANGES RESULT FROM AN OVERALL REVIEW OF THE COMMAND STRUCTURE OF THE POLICE FORCE.

AT PRESENT, THE FORCE IS DIVIDED INTO THREE LAND REGIONS -- HONG KONG ISLAND, KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES AND THE MARINE REGION.

THE HONG KONG ISLAND REGION, SPANNING FOUR DISTRICTS

-- WHICH WILL BE EXPANDED CENTRAL, EASTERN, WAN CHAI AND WESTERN TO FIVE IN 1989 WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT, COVERS A POPULATION OF 1.2 MILLION. IN 1985, THERE WERE 16 539 REPORTED CRIMES.

THE KOWLOON REGION COVERS A POPULATION OF 2.4 MILLION, AND

KOWLOON CITY, HAS A COMMAND SPAN OF SEVEN LAND DISTRICTS

KWUN TONG, SAU MAU PING, MONG KOK, SHAM SHUI PO, WONG TAI SIN, AND YAU MA TEI -- AND WILL BE EXPANDED TO EIGHT, WITH THE JUNK BAY DISTRICT COMING INTO STREAM IN 1989, TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE NEW TOWN.

IN 1985, THERE WERE 47 365 REPORTED CRIMES IN KOWLOON, OR 186 PER CENT MORE THAN IN HONG KONG ISLAND.

PLANS ARE FOR MANPOWER TO BE BUILT-UP ALSO OVER THE FIVE-YEAR SPAN, WITH IMMEDIATE EMPHASIS BEING PLACED ON STRENGTHENING THE OPERATIONAL COMMAND STRUCTURE.

/OTHER REQUESTS