XN000022-1993-01-12 — Page 21

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1993

THE DETECTION RATE WAS MAINTAINED AT A HIGH 45.2 PER CENT LAST YEAR, THE SAME AS IN 1991, THANKS TO DETERMINDED POLICE ACTION BEEFED UP BY EVER BROADENED CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE WORK, THE COMMISSIONER SAID.

MR LI SAID, HOWEVER, MOTOR VEHICLE CRIME REMAINED A CAUSE FOR CONCERN WITH 6,918 VEHICLES REPORTD MISSING IN THE WHOLE OF 1992, 8.9 PER CENT MORE THAN THE 1991 FIGURE OF 6,352 VEHICLES.

A TOTAL OF 1,052 MERCEDES BENZ CARS, 649 BMWS AND 330 TOYOTA CROWNS WERE REPORTED MISSING LAST YEAR,

WHILE THE CORRESPONDING FIGURES FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR STOOD AT 244, 135 AND 288 RESPECTIVELY.

THE COMMISSIONER ASSURED THE PUBLIC THAT THE FORCE WOULD CONTINUE TO COUNTER THE PROBLEM HEAD-ON WITH OPTIMAL POLICE RESOURCES AND WOULD CONTINUE TO SEEK ASSISTANCE FROM THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES CRACK DOWN ON CROSS-BORDER CAR STEALING SYNDICATES.

TO

I AM OPTIMISTIC THAT THE FORCE WILL EVENTUALLY GAIN THE UPPER HAND IN THIS BATTLE WITH FULL CO-OPERATION FROM THE MOTORING PUBLIC IN ADOPTING APPRORJATE ANTI-THEFT MEASURES, MR LI SAID.

STATISTICS ON OTHER MAJOR CRIMES ARE:

HOMICIDE

THERE WERE 108 HOMICIDES RECORDED IN 1992, COMPARED WITH 92 IN 1991. TWENTY-FOUR OF THE 1992 HOMICIDES RESULTED FROM THE SHEK KONG CAMP INCIDENT IN FEBRUARY 1992.

WOUNDING AND SERIOUS ASSAULT

THERE WAS A DECREASE OF 9.7 PER CENT IN WOUNDINGS AND SERIOUS ASSAULTS, FROM 6,381 IN 1991 TO 5,764 IN 1992.

INDECENT ASSAULT ON FEMALE AND RAPE

THERE WERE 116 RAPES REPORTED IN 1992, COMPARED WITH 114 IN 1991. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF INDECENT ASSUALTS ON FEMALES WAS 1,099, A MARGINAL DROP OF 0.2 PER CENT FROM 1991.

BLACKMAIL AND INTIMIDATION

THERE WAS AN WELCOME INCREASE OF 22.8 PER CENT IN BLACKMAIL ΤΟ 883 CASES, FROM 719 IN 1991. CRIMINAL INTIMIDATION CASES TOTALLED 519, A RISE OF 26.6 PER CENT OVER 1991.

/BURGLARY