Tougher laws give teeth
to new
12 MAY 17 S.C.CP
crime drive
--
Tough measures are the only answer to a disorderly society this is the consensus of reaction by the man in the street to the Government's proposed new legislation to curb violent crimes.
The new measures
- provided for in a Bill published in yesterday's Government Gazette are aimed at giving teeth to the forthcoming anti-crime campaign.
They include wider powers of punishment for District Court Judges and Principal Magistrates, and a new system of preventive detention designed to isolate habitual criminals.
Many residents, from hawkers to business executives, consider the new measures to be consistent with the traditional Chinese thinking of punishment for hardened criminals.
only be used as a last resort when all other forms of punishment had failed to protect society against a professional criminal.
Two other Bills widen the powers of punishment for District Court Judges and the Principal Magistrates.
Under the Magistrates (Amendment) Bill 1973, a Principal Magistrate will be able to impose a maximum sentence of four years' imprisonment and a fine of $10,000, as against the two 'years' imprisonment and a $10,000 fine which can be meted out
by a Permanent Magistrate.
The maximum aggregate total of consecutive sentences that can be imposed, which is at present three years by Permanent Magistrates, will be increased to five years for Principal Magistrates.
The District Court (Amendment) Bill 1973 raises the maximum sentence that can be imposed by a District Court Judge from five to seven years.
The Public Order (Amendment) Bill 1973 amends the Public Order Bill to allow corporal punishment to be used instead of detention sentences./^/
Among those who favoured the tough measures were kaifong leaders, businessmen, educationalists and housewives.
The President of the Hongkong and Kowloon Joint Kaifong Research Council, Mr Yan Chi-kit said the introduction of the stringent laws was an answer to the public outcry for more severe punishment for criminals.
"I'm sure the measures will have the full support of the whole community and will make the anti-crime campaign a great
success," he said.
Meanwhile, all 56 Kaifong Associations, the Heung Yee Kuk and other civic and voluntary bodies have pledged their full support for the fight against violent crime.
Representatives of Kaifong Associations will play a vital role in the area committees to be formed later this month by the Secretariat for Home Affairs.
One of the main tasks of these committees will be to help promote security measures in buildings and to improve liaison between the police and the public.
The Chairman of the Council of Hongkong and Kowloon Kaifong Associations, Mr Lui Fook-hong, said a fund of $10,000 would be raised for publicity purposes to enlist the support of
The preventive detention system is provided for by the residents. Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill 1973.
Pledging full support for the campaign, the Chairman of the
have the backing of rural bodies in the New Territories."
A Government spokesman said preventive detention would Heung Yec Kuk, Mr Chan Yat-san, said: "The campaign will
What The STAR thinks.
© Fight Violent
Crime Campaign
'HE IDEA Violent Crime
It's been relatively easy.
What we are not nearly so unitod about is our OWN resolve to see our laws are uphold and to help in catching these who break them.
The Fight Violent Crime Campaign we hope
will stimulate that resolve.
It stands a better chance of success than the Clean Hongkong Campaign that ac complished so much.
Why?
Because the majority of us are not
criminals, but against criminais,
Tampaign of our Fight Your Govern. And we are intelligent enough to understand
ment, but the law-abiding majority of people
in this community.
They demand adequate protection for their lives and property from the increasing number of young people who have turned to violent crime.
And they do not have much patience with those among us who want to examine how we have failed socially as a community by breeding more criminals.
First, they just want them stopped.
Public opinion has favoured tougher laws and
higher penalties.
And most people are not prepared to argue the pros and cons of deterrent sentences.
We have now got some of those tougher laws
and we are getting others.
Penalties, too, are getting tougher
The majority of us are united thus far in our firm resolve to see these things are done.
we can't put all our violent criminals behind bars unless we co-operate with the police.
Sir Murray
urges full support
12 MAY 1973
GIVE the anti-crime drive your 'full co-operation, the Governor Sir Murray MacLehose urged the public last night when he launched-4 the campaign.
Sir Murray pledged his own support to the drive and said all Government departments would give it top priority.
"This will not be at all like the . Clean Hongkong Campaign," he
said.
"It will not be so gimmicky nor can it be so light-hearted."
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