XN000022-1990-05-30 — Page 17

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 1990

16

POLICE COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE'S REPORT FOR 1989

THE POLICE COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE HAS RELEASED ITS ANNUAL REPORT

WAS SET UP IN FOR 1989. IT

EARLY

ΤΟ 1986

TAKE OVER THE WORK

BY THE PREVIOUSLY UNDERTAKEN

FORMER UMELCO POLICE GROUP. THE COMMITTEE OVERSEES THE HANDLING BY THE POLICE PUBLIC.

2.

OF

COMPLAINTS

BY

THE

DR

HAD

TABLING THE REPORT IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY) IN HIS CAPACITY AS CHAIRMAN OF THE POLICE COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE, THE HON DANIEL TSE SAID THAT DURING THE YEAR 1989, THE COMMITTEE REVIEWED AND ENDORSED 675 COMPLAINT CASES, EMBRACING 4,026

AGAINST THE POLICE ALLEGATIONS, PROCESSED BY THE COMPLAINTS (CAPO) OF THE ROYAL HONG KONG POLICE FORCE. WITH INDEPENDENT SECRETARIAT, DR TSE POINTED OUT THAT DEEN ABLE TO VET IN DETAIL EACH AND EVERY COMPLAINT CASE.

FOLLOWED

OFFICE THE SUPPORT OF AN THE COMMITTEE HAD

ALLEGATIONS). ABUSIVE DUTY OR

PER

OR CONDUCT

OF NEGLECT

THE REPORT STATED THAT THE LARGEST SINGLE SUBJECT OF COMPLAINT

NUMBER OF PAS ABOUT ASSAULT (30 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL THIS WAS

BY OVERBEARING, IMPOLITE PER CENT), LANGUAGE OF POLICE OFFICERS (25.4 IMPROPER ACTION (19 PER CENT), UNNECESSARY USE OF AUTHORITY (13.9 CENT) AND FABRICATION OF EVIDENCE (6.5 PER CENT).

RESULT APPROPRIATE

OF:

TAKEN

IN

THE ADDITION,

REPORT STATED THAT AS A INVESTIGATION INTO COMPLAINTS MONITORED BY THE COMMITTEE, LEGAL PROCEEDINGS AND DISCIPLINARY OR INTERNAL ACTIONS HAD BEEN AND ADVICES GIVEN AGAINST 602 POLICE OFFICERS DURING 1989.

OF

IN

THE REPORT ALSO NOTED THAT THE DECLINING TREND OF COMPLAINTS WHICH BEGAN IN APRIL 1987 HAD STABILISED TOWARDS THE THIRD QUARTER

REGISTERED 1989. A TOTAL OF 3,234 COMPLAINT CASFS WERE

BY CAPO 1989, REPRESENTING A 0.5 PER CENT INCREASE OVER THE 3,219 CASES THE 1989 FIGURE REGISTERED IN 1988. NEVERTHELESS, DR TSE NOTED THAT

FIGURE STILL RFTRESENTED A 16.4 PER CENT DECREASE OVER THE

OF FOR 1957. AS IN PREVIOUS YEARS, THE MAJORITY OF COMPLAINT CASES PER CENT) WERE MADE DIRECT TO THE POLICE FORCE.

3,870 (91.8

OF OF

THE REPORT FURTHER SHOWED 'THE COMMITTEE'S CONCERN OVER THE HIGHER INCIDENCE OF ASSAULT CASES RECEIVED IN 1989 (19.1 PER CENT) THAN FOR 1988. THE COMMITTEE HAD STUDIED THE TREND RELATING TO ALLEGATIONS OF ASSAULT OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS WITH THE ASSISTANCE CAPO. THE STUDY INDICATED SOME CORRELATION BETWEEN THE NUMBER ALLEGATIONS OF ASSAULT AND THE NUMBER OF CRIMES REPORTED TOGETHER WITH

THE MATTER CONSEQUENTIAL CRIME ARRESTS.

HAD BEEN

ΤΟ BROUGHT

THE ATTENTION OF FORMATION COMMANDERS OF POLICE DISTRICTS BY CAPO FOR BY THE APPROPRIATE ACTION. THE SITUATION WAS BEING CLOSELY MONITORED COMMITTEF.

REPORT HOWEVER, THE

EMPHASISED THAT THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC COMPLAINTS AND VARIOUS FORMS OF LEGAL AND DISCIPLINARY OR INTERNAL

AGAINST ACTIONS TAKEN AND ADVICES GIVEN

POLICE OFFICERS SHOULD BE SEEN IN THE LIGHT OF THE DIFFICULT FRONT-LINE NATURE OF POLICE WORK. THEY SHOULD ALSO BE INTERPRETED IN THE CONTEXT OF 3.07 MILLION POTENTIAL POLICE

DURING PUBLIC CONFRONTATION SITUATIONS

THE YEAR, INCLUDING 1.56 MILLION PERSONS STOPPED AND CHECKED THROUGH THE POLICE OPERATIONAL MOMINAL INDEX COMPUTER SYSTEM (PONICS) AND 1.51 MILLION TRAFFIC SUMMONSES AND TICKETS ISSUED.

-

/IN REVIEWING