XN000022-1995-11-02 — Page 71

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Living up to the Community's Aspirations

Combating Crime

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When most of us go home in the evenings to our families, or when we go out during the holidays to enjoy ourselves, these are the very hours when our policemen are actively tackling crime on the streets. There are 21,000 police officers, comprising 78% of the Police Force, involved in front-line operational duties. Apart from policemen seen in their uniforms walking the beat or on operational patrols, many of them are working in plain clothes in the prevention and investigation of criminal activities. Yet others are performing essential tasks such as anti-illegal immigration operations at the border, or pursuing smugglers at sea. Nevertheless, the Government perceives clearly the wish of the community to have more visible police presence on the streets to fight crime and to deter potential offenders. As the Governor pointed out in the Policy Address, we now have an extra 800 police officers on the streets compared with 1992. We are on schedule to meet last year's Policy Commitment to deploy an additional 400 police officers for front line duties. A further 220 will also join the front-line in 1996-97.

Although the overall crime rate in the past 3 years has increased by about 5%, the violent crime rate, unlike that in other metropolitan cities, has actually fallen by some 11%, and the number of armed robberies has dropped by a remarkable 62%. There is of course no room for complacency. This year, we have strengthened the capability of the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau, and the Criminal Intelligence Bureau; next year we will provide considerable resources to strengthen the anti-triad units in Police Regions and Districts. These measures, together with the enactment of the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance, should enable the Police force to break the back of organised crime syndicates. Some Honourable Members have expressed their concern on increases in pickpocketing, syndicated shopthefts and juvenile crimes. Let me assure you that the Police will continue to pay particular attention to detecting and preventing such crimes, with their additional resources and better criminal intelligence capability. As regards juvenile crime, we have in May this year published the Report on the Research on the Social Causes of Juvenile Crime, which was commissioned by the Fight Crime Committee. We have received feedback from the community and concerned groups, and are now drawing up an action plan to implement the recommendations arising from the Report, which cover educational, social welfare, correctional, Police and research aspects. This will be ready by the end of the year. I am confident that with the coordinated efforts of the many Government departments and non-governmental organisations involved, the problem of juvenile crime will be kept under control.