XN000022-1992-05-27 — Page 44

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 1992

42

COMPLAINTS AGAINST POLICE ALL-TIME LOW SINCE 1986

THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE POLICE LAST DROPPED TO AN ALL-TIME LOW SINCE 1986, ACCORDING TO THE REPORT OF POLICE COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE FOR 1991.

YEAR THE

ANNOUNCING DETAILS OF THE REPORT THIS (WEDNESDAY) AFTERNOON AT A PRESS CONFERENCE, CHAIRMAN OF THE POLICE COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE (PCC), 1991 DR DANIEL TSE, SAID A TOTAL OF 3,158 COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED IN COMPARED WITH 3,424 IN 1990, REPRESENTING A DROP OF ABOUT 8%.

WAS

THE NUMBER WAS 4,544 IN 1986, THE YEAR WHEN THE COMMITTEE FIRST SET UP TO MONITOR AND REVIEW THE HANDLING BY THE POLICE OF PUBLIC COMPLAINTS.

EARLIER IN THE AFTERNOON, THE COMMITTEE'S PEGGY LAM, PRESENTED THE COMMITTEE'S REPORT

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

VICE-CHAIRMAN, MRS FOR 1991 ΤΟ THE

ON THE REASON FOR THE DECLINE, DR TSE SAID: "WE HAVEN'T CARRIED OUT ANY STUDY ON THE QUESTION BUT I BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE AT. LEAST TWO CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.

DISCIPLINE OF POLICE OFFICERS THE CITIZENS HAVE HAD A BETTER

"ON ONE HAND, THE QUALITY AND HAVE IMPROVED. ON THE OTHER HAND, UNDERSTANDING OF POLICE WORK, " HE SAID.

DESPITE THE DECLINE IN THE OVERALL NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS, ALLEGING ASSAULTS BY THE POLICE HAVE BEEN ON THE INCREASE.

IN 1991, 1,699 SUCH COMPLAINTS WERE REGISTERED, 1,645 IN 1990 AND 1,248 IN 1986.

THOSE

COMPARED WITH

"WE MUST NOT TAKE THESE FIGURES ON THEIR FACE VALUE, TSE. "AS MRS LAM POINTED OUT IN HER STATEMENT AT LEGCO ABOUT

SAID DR

HALF

AN

HOUR AGO, A VERY LARGE PERCENTAGE OF SUCH COMPLAINTS WERE SUBSEQUENTLY WITHDRAWN BY THE COMPLAINANTS OR THE COMPLAINTS WERE NOT PURSUABLE BECAUSE THE COMPLAINANTS REFUSED ΤΟ GIVE SUFFICIENT INFORMATION."

"IN THE REPORTS EXAMINED AND ENDORSED BY THE COMMITTEE IN 1986, 47.3% OF THESE ALLEGATIONS ABOUT ASSAULTS WERE WITHDRAWN OR NOT PURSUABLE. THIS HAS STEADILY INCREASED TO 85.3% IN 1991.

AND NOT-PURSUABLE

CASES

WITHDRAWN "SO, IF THE NUMBER OF

IS DEDUCTED, THE NUMBER OF ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS HAVE IN FACT BEEN DECREASING,' DR TSE ADDED.

++

ON THE CAUSE OF THE TREND OF INCREASING NUMBER

CASES, ALLEGATIONS, WITHDRAWN AND NOT-PURSUABLE

OF ASSAULT DR TSE SAID: "ONE BEEN MADE BY CRIME

THEORY IS THAT SOME OF THESE ALLEGATIONS HAVE SUSPECTS IN ORDER TO HELP THEIR DEFENCE IN THE COURT CASE AGAINST . THEM.

/"SUCH COMPLAINANTS