XN000022-1990-12-20 — Page 7

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HONG KONG HAS MORE POLICEMEN ON THE STREETS THAN IS IN MANY MAJOR CITIES OF THE REGION.

THE

CASE

IS

419.8

184.7

"POLICE STRENGTH PER 100,000 POPULATION IN HONG KONG

TOKYO AND IN 1989, COMPARED WITH 262.6 IN SINGAPORE, 347.2 IN IN BANGKOK. THIS IS THE BEST DETERRENT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME, HE SAID.

IN THE MR STRACHAN SAID DESPITE THE INCREASE

CRIME RATE AS

COMPARED WITH LAST

THIS YEAR, IF

WAS VIEWED

THE IN PERSPECTIVE,

AS THAT OVERALL CRIME RATE IN 1990 IN FACT REMAINED BROADLY THE SAME OF THE PAST DECADE.

PAST 10 YEARS "THE CRIME RATES PER 100,000 POPULATION IN THE

FOR HAVE FLUCTUATED BETWEEN 1,400 AND 1,600. THE PROJECTED CRIME RATE

THAN THIS IS ACTUALLY LOWER

THE CRIME THE WHOLE OF 1990 IS 1,522.7 RATE IN FIVE YEARS OUT OF THE PAST 10 YEARS.

+

"OVER THE PAST MONTHS LARGE NUMBERS OF POLICEMEN HAVE

RAIDS ON CONDUCTED FREQUENT

VICE ESTABLISHMENTS, MAHJONG PARLOURS AND OTHER PLACES WHICH THESE CRIMINALS FREQUENT. A SUBSTANTIAL OF WANTED CRIMINALS HAVE BEEN ARRESTED.

NUMBER

LIVES

"THE MAIN EFFECT OF THESE RAIDS HAS BEEN ΤΟ DEMONSTRATE ΤΟ SUCH CRIMINALS THAT IF THEY WILL NOT LIVE PEACEFUL, LAW-ABIDING THEY WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE RIGOURS OF THE LAW," HE SAID.

WAS WOULD BE EARLY NEXT

MR STRACHAN SAID A NEW PIECE OF COMPREHENSIVE LEGISLATION BEING DRAFTED TO FURTHER COMBAT ORGANISED CRIME. THE PUBLIC CONSULTED ON THIS LEGISLATION IN THE FORM OF A WHITE BILL, YEAR, HE SAID.

SAID MR STRACHAN

THE GOVERNMENT HAD ALWAYS CONSIDERED IT IMPORTANT TO INVOLVE THE PUBLIC IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME.

HE ADDED THAT BUILDING ON THE NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH SCHEME, LIKE ΤΟ SEE WHICH ENCOURAGED MUTUAL HELP AMONG NEIGHBOURS, HE WOULD

DOWN TO THE THE DISTRICT FIGHT CRIME COMMITTEES REACH RIGHT

FAMILY UNIT, WHICH PLAYED A VITAL ROLE

CIVIC AWARENESS AND

COMBATTING CRIME.

IN DEVELOPING

0

201 VBP RETURN TO VIETNAM

A GROUP OF 201 VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE TODAY (THURSDAY} RETURNED ΤΟ VIETNAM UNDER THE UNHCR'S VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION PROGRAMME.

COMPRISING 71 MEN, 49 WOMEN, 52 BOYS AND 29 GIRLS, THEY WERE THE 45TH BATCH TO GO BACK UNDER THE PROGRAMME.

SO FAR, A TOTAL OF 6,296 VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE HAVE RETURNED VOLUNTARILY.

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