XN000022-1989-12-04 — Page 5

MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1989

"IT SEEMS PARADOXICAL THAT WITH THE INCREASING AFFLUENCE AND A HIGHER LEVEL OF LITERACY WE HAVE ACHIEVED IN THE DECADES SINCE THE

BROUGHT WAR. RAPID DEVELOPMENT AND URBANISATION HAVE

IN THEIR WAKE MORE PRESSURES AND STRESS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES, HE SAID.

IN THE

SIR DAVID SAID IN MANY WESTERN COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY INNER CITIES. THERE WERE ACUTE PROBLEMS OF YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT,

AND

BUT VANDALISM,

1N ALCOROL AND DRUG ABUSE, JUVENILE CRIME

HONG KONG AND OTHER PARTS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA, ΚΙΤΗ AN EXPANDING ECONOMY, YOUNG SCHOOL LEAVERS HAD NO DIFFICULTY FINDING PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYMENT.

"OUR JUVENILE CRIME RATE IS COMPARATIVELY LOWER THAN MANY MAJOR CITIES. AND WE DO NOT HAVE THE SAME SYMPTOMS OF VANDALISM OFTEN FOUND IN THE WEST. OUR PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES ARE WELL MAINTAINED WITH CO-OPERATION OF RESIDENTS.

"BUT WE ARE BY NO MEANS COMPLACENT AND ARE ONLY TOO WELL AWARE THAT UNLESS WE TAKE POSITIVE MEASURES TO FORESTALL THEM. WE TOO COULD BE PLAGUED BY SIMILAR PROBLEMS.

DRUG

"WE MONITOR VERY CLOSELY THE TRENDS IN JUVENILE CRIME AND ABUSE, AND HAVE BEEN RUNNING PUBLICITY CAMPAIGNS ON THESE SUBJECTS." HE SAID.

SIR DAVID SAID IN ORDER TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WERE AT RISK, GREATER EMPHASIS WAS PLACED ON

SOCIAL WORK AND OUTREACHING SOCIAL WORK.

SCHOOL

STUDENT GUIDANCE OFFICERS WERE SCHOOLS AND THE SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS SCHOOLS.

NOW PROVIDED IN ALL PRIMARY SERVICE COVERED ALL SECONDARY

TO ESTABLISH DIRECT

OUTREACHING SOCIAL WORKERS WERE DEPLOYED CONTACT WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AT RISK. IN PLACES THEY WERE KNOWN TO FREQUENT, TO HELP THEM WITH COUNSELLING AND GUIDANCE.

"ASIDE FROM THE HARD-CORE PROBLEMS OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, OUR OVERALL APPROACH IS TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH WHICH OUR YOUNG PEOPLE CAN CHANNEL THEIR ENERGIES TO DEVELOP THEIR ABILITIES AND TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITY,

"THE GOVERNMENT, VOLUNTARY AGENCIES AND THE SCHOOLS ALL HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN THIS.

-

THE

THE

AND

"THERE ARE MANY INTERESTING ORGANISATIONS FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO JOIN THE SCOUTS, THE RED CROSS, THE ROAD SAFETY PATROLS AND

JUST TO NAME A FEW. DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD SCHEME

WE ALSO HAVE JUNIOR POLICE CALL WHICH 1S UNIQUE TO HONG KONG, AND THROUGH WHICH OVER 160,000

MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED то ASSIST IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME.

CURRENT

REPORT

PROGRAMMES FOR

"THERE ARE ALSO OVER 200 CHILDREN AND YOUTH CENTRES ORGANISED ON A NEIGHBOURHOOD BASIS WHICH RỤN A GREAT VARIETY OF THEIR MEMBERS AND YOUTH GROUPS.

/"WE ARE