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5.
Detention Centres (para. 12 of the Governor's letter)
15.
F
We have already replied to the Governor on this point and have sent him a considerable quantity of material (provided by the Home Office) on the operation of detention centres in this country. The Governor has confirmed that he does not require any further information on this subject.
Comparisons with other places
B
16.
G
H
B
Mr. Royle has asked to see comparable figures for crime in other cities of a similar size (Birmingham and Singapore were mentioned). In supplying us with the Birmingham figures the Home Office warned us that they could not be regarded as directly comparable with those for Hong Kong. Apart from the fact that Birmingham has a population of 1,085,000 compared with Hong Kong' 4 million, this is due to a number of reasons including in particular the wide variation in legal definitions of what con- stitutes a crime or a particular kind of crime; differences in public attitudes to the reporting of offences; in police recording practices and in the methods used for collecting and compiling statistics. However, on the basis of such comparison as can be made, Hong Kong does not come out too badly and the Governor may be interested to see the figures for what they are worth. The Hong Kong Government no doubt already has the Singapore figures but the information in the attached report of the Singapore Police Force is so scanty as to make any worthwhile
comparison impossible.
Youth Activities
17.
Mr. Royle expressed some surprise at the Governor' S statement that there was no lack of opportunities for young
people to join youth organisations and activities. There have in fact been considerable developments in this sphere during recent years although in a community of four million people of whom 50 per cent are estimated to be under 21 years old, the
demand for such facilities is not easily satisfied.
18.
Hong Kong how has a considerable number of youth
organisations and organised youth activities. These include:-
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