XN000022-1992-04-24 — Page 5

QUARTERLY CRIME FIGURES RELEASED

FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 1992

IN THE

A TOTAL OF 174 SUCCESSFUL ANTI-TRIAD OPERATIONS WERE MOUNTED BY POLICE DURING THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR, RESULTING ARREST OF 237 PERSONS FOR VARIOUS OFFENCES.

SPEAKING AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ON QUARTERLY CRIME STATISTICS TODAY (FRIDAY), THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR, CRIME,

TSANG YAM-PUI, SAID THESE SUCCESSFUL OPERATIONS WERE THE RESULT OF A GREATER WILLINGNESS ON THE PART OF THE VICTIMS, THROUGH PERSUASION BY POLICE, TO COME FORWARD TO ACT AS WITNESSES.

HE SAID THAT DURING THE PERIOD, A TOTAL OF 20,049 CRIME REPORTS WERE RECEIVED BY THE POLICE, WHICH WAS 10.49 PER CENT LESS THAN THE PRECEDING QUARTER AND 1.43 PER CENT LESS THAN FIRST QUARTER OF 1991.

"DETECTION RATE WAS 43.8 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH 41.9 PER IN THE PRECEDING QUARTER AND 44.2 PER CENT IN THE SAME QUARTER YEAR.

THE

CENT

LAST

"VIOLENT CRIME TOTALLED 4,418 CASES, WHICH WAS 8.76 PER CENT LESS THAN THE PRECEDING QUARTER BUT 4.2 PER CENT MORE THAN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1991."

MR TSANG ALSO NOTED THAT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ALL KINDS OF CENT LESS THAN ROBBERIES IN THE PERIOD WAS 2,199, WHICH WAS 2.7 PER THE PRECEDING QUARTER BUT 10 PER CENT MORE THAN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1991.

HE SAID THAT THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF THE YEAR, HOWEVER, WAS CHARACTERISED BY A SPATE OF RATHER VIOLENT ROBBERIES INVOLVING THE USE OF GENUINE FIREARMS OR HAND GRENADES. THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 18

OF THESE CASES COMPARED WITH 17 IN THE PRECEDING QUARTER AND NINE CASES IN THE FIRST QUARTER LAST YEAR.

AS A RESULT OF THE COURAGEOUS AND RESOLUTE POLICE ACTION AGAINST THE CULPRITS INVOLVED, 29 PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED, FIVE FIREARMS SEIZED AND FIVE POLICE OFFICERS INJURED, HE SAID.

BELIEVED HAVE

"THREE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT OF THESE ROBBERIES ARE TO BE THE WORK OF ONE CRIMINAL GANG. A FEW MEMBERS OF THIS GANG BEEN IDENTIFIED AND WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO APPREHEND THEM IN THE FUTURE," HE ADDED.

NEAR

OF

MR TSANG ALSO STRESSED THAT THE GREATER AVAILABILITY ILLEGAL FIREARMS IN HONG KONG CONTINUED TO BE A CAUSE FOR CONCERN AND WAS RECEIVING PRIORITY POLICE ATTENTION.

HE FURTHER POINTED OUT THAT THE INCREASED POLICE ACTION AGAINST TRIADS APPEARED TO HAVE HAD AN IMPACT ON CASES OF WOUNDING AND ASSAULT, WHICH SHOWED A WELCOME DECLINE COMPARED WITH BOTH LAST QUARTER AND THE FIRST QUARTER LAST YEAR.

/REFERRING TO