TNAG-0397-FCO40-443-Problem-of-increase-in-crime-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 30

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Wednesday, October 17, 1973

These suggestions are being carefully considered and "certainly it

is reasonable to hope that the great programmes of improvement in housing,

education and social welfare will all help over crime," he said.

But in the short term, he emphasised, we must rely heavily on

deterrence

and the basic deterrent was the fear of detection. This could

only be provided by a large and visible police presence.

Efforts towards this end started with a drive to expand the

"Within a period

Auxiliaries as the quickest way of raising numbers.

of something like nine months," he said," the Auxiliaries have been increased

from 3,500 to 7,000 trained men."

This was followed by a campaign to recruit regulars which yielded

400 acceptable recruits. This result, the Governor said, had been greatly

prejudiced by the escape of Godber and the attendant publicity which ironically

coincided with the recruitment arite.

A further recruitment campaign will be mounted later this year and

"as a result the police still here to be able to recruit in 1973 about half

as many again as in 1972, that is to say about 1,200," he said.

But he emphasised that this was still not enough and said that

every effort would be made to bring the regular police force up to strength.

"We have therefore been looking again urgently at police pay and

conditions of service, and proposals will be made to Finance Committee in a

fortnight's time," Sir Murray said.

/To gain

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