XN000022-1994-01-18 — Page 3

2

TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1994

ΤΟ PROPOSING

TAKE A SUBSTANTIAL

INITIATIVE

I

WHICH "WE'RE ANNOUNCED IN MY SPEECH TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, ON TRYING TO COMBAT CORRUPTION IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, IN BUSINESS.

"WE'VE GOT A CONFERENCE IN THE EARLY SPRING ON THAT ISSUE WHICH I'LL BE ADDRESSING, SETTING OUT SOME OF MY VIEWS AND THOUGHTS ON THAT. BUT IT IS AN AREA WHERE THE ICAC WANTS TO MAKE A BIGGER INITIATIVE AND COMPREHENSIVELY WITH TRADE WANTS TO SEE ITSELF WORKING MUCH MORE

THEM ADAPTING ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUAL FIRMS, NOT LEAST THROUGH CODES OF PRACTICE."

-

GOVERNOR SPEAKS TO PRESS AFTER EXCO MEETING

GOOD MORNING. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE MORE CONVENIENT FOR YOU IF WE HELD MY PRE-DEPARTURE PRESS EVENT HERE AND NOW RATHER THAN DRAGGING YOU OUT TO THE AIRPORT THIS EVENING OR DRAGGING YOU UP TO GOVERNMENT HOUSE LATER THIS AFTERNOON. SO, WHILE OBVIOUSLY THERE MAY

BE SOMETHING FOR SNAPPERS TO DO THIS EVENING, THERE WON'T BE TO REPORT, AT LEAST NOTHING THAT I SAY.

WE'VE

ANYTHING

SOME

PARTS

CRIME

I'D HAD A GOOD DISCUSSION AT EXCO ABOUT ONE ISSUE WHICH LIKE TO TOUCH ON BEFORE COMING TO MY VISIT TO LONDON. WE HAD A REPORT FROM THE ROYAL HONG KONG POLICE ABOUT THE CRIME FIGURES FOR 1993. WHILE ANY CRIME FIGURES ARE IN A SENSE UNACCEPTABLE, WE CAN TAKE PLEASURE IN THE FACT THAT HERE IN HONG KONG, UNLIKE MOST OTHER OF

THE THE WORLD, OUR CRIME FIGURES ARE GETTING BETTER.

1993 FIGURES WERE THE BEST THAT WE'VE HAD FOR TEN YEARS. WE HAD A FALL IN ALL CRIME OF ABOUT 1.8% 1993 OVER 1992, WE HAD A FALL IN VIOLENT CRIME OF ABOUT 6% IN 1993 OVER 1992. THOSE FIGURES DO REPRESENT, I THINK, A SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT BY OUR POLICE AND THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL CONGRATULATED THEM ON THE WORK THAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING. NOT SURPRISING THAT THEIR RECRUITMENT FIGURES REMAIN AS GOOD AS THEY ARE BECAUSE I THINK EVERYBODY WANTS TO JOIN A WINNING TEAM, BUT OBVIOUSLY THERE'S NO ROOM FOR COMPLACENCY, WE MUST SEE IF THIS YEAR'S FIGURES CAN BE MADE EVEN BETTER THAN LAST YEAR'S. I REPEAT THAT THERE ARE VERY

TO FEW,

POINT

A. IF ANY, COMMUNITIES IN THE WORLD WHICH COULD TREND LIKE THIS AND OF COURSE, IT'S IN A WAY A REFLECTION OF OUR SOCIAL STABILITY AS A COMMUNITY.

THE MAIN PURPOSE OF MY VISIT TO LONDON TONIGHT IS то GIVE EVIDENCE ΤΟ THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE, WHICH HAS TAKEN EVIDENCE FROM A NUMBER OF OTHERS. THEY STILL HAVE TO TAKE EVIDENCE FROM ME AND FROM THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, WHICH I THINK THEY'RE DOING IN EARLY FEBRUARY. THEY VISITED HONG KONG AS PART OF THEIR ENQUIRY, THEY ALSO VISITED PEKING AS PART OF THEIR ENQUIRY AND I'M SURE THEIR REPORT WILL BE AS USEFUL AS THE LAST ONE WHICH THEY PRODUCED.

/I'LL ALSO,