XN000022-1991-12-17 — Page 7

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1991

GOOD CITIZEN AWARDS PRESENTATION

OF A BANK OF THE PUBLIC

THE STORY OF THE SUCCESSFUL ARREST BY TWO CITIZENS ROBBER GIVES FURTHER PROOF THAT THE CO-OPERATION IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME.

DESPATCH RIDER MR LEE KAM-WAH AND TAXI DRIVER MR TAM SUI-SUM WERE PRESENTED WITH THE GOOD CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARD TODAY (TUESDAY) FOR THEIR EXCEPTIONAL BRAVERY AND RESOURCEFULNESS IN SUBDUING A BANK ROBBER IN OCTOBER LAST YEAR.

ON OCTOBER 30, 1990, MR

LEE,

WITNESSING A BANK ROBBERY IN

KOWLOON CITY ROAD, TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO FOLLOW THE CULPRIT WHO HAD BOARDED MR TAM'S TAXI.

AT A STOP BEFORE A RED TRAFFIC LIGHT, MR LEE MANAGED TO INFORM MR TAM OF THE IDENTITY OF HIS PASSENGER. THE TWO OF THEM THEN JOINTLY GUARDED THE MAN UNTIL THE ARRIVAL OF THE POLICE.

AT TODAY'S PRESENTATION CEREMONY, 46 INDIVIDUALS WERE ALSO HONOURED WITH THE GOOD CITIZEN AWARD IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR CONTRIBUTION IN THE PREVENTION OR DETECTION OF CRIME.

SPEAKING AT THE CEREMONY, THE ACTING SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, MR IAN STRACHAN, COMMENDED THE GOOD CITIZENS FOR HAVING DEMONSTRATED : THE VERY IMPORTANT ROLE A CITIZEN COULD PLAY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME.

WITH

"THE OVERALL CRIME RATE IN HONG KONG IS LOW WHEN COMPARED OTHER MAJOR WESTERN CITIES. THE GOVERNMENT IS DETERMINED THAT IT SHOULD REMAIN SO," MR STRACHAN SAID.

NOTING THAT THE OVERALL CRIME FIGURES THIS YEAR WERE LOWER THAN THOSE IN THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD LAST

YEAR, MR STRACHAN SAID THE CRIME DETECTION RATE WAS CONSISTENTLY ABOVE 40 PER CENT.

HAD

TO TACKLE ARMED ROBBERIES AND CAR THEFT, THE POLICE CARRIED OUT A SERIES OF SUCCESSFUL LARGE-SCALE OPERATIONS WHICH HAD RESULTED IN A NUMBER OF ARRESTS AND SEIZURES, HE SAID.

THAT THE

ON LEGISLATION AGAINST CRIME, MR STRACHAN NOTED ORGANISED CRIME BILL WHICH WAS PUBLISHED THIS AUGUST HAD ATTRACTED COMMENTS FROM VARIOUS SECTORS OF THE COMMUNITY.

VIEW ΤΟ COUNCIL NEXT

"WE ARE NOW EXAMINING THE COMMENTS RECEIVED WITH A AMENDING THE BILL FOR INTRODUCTION INTO THE LEGISLATIVE YEAR, HE SAID.

JOINTLY ADMINISTERED BY THE ROYAL HONG KONG POLICE AND THE HONG KONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THE GOOD CITIZEN AWARD SCHEME AND THE GOOD CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARD SCHEME WERE INTRODUCED IN 1973 AND 1984 RESPECTIVELY TO GIVE RECOGNITION TO INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE RENDERED POSITIVE ASSISTANCE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME.

INCLUSIVE OF THE 48 GOOD CITIZENS HONOURED TODAY, A TOTAL OF 2,205 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PRESENTED THE AWARDS SO FAR.

/OF THE