npared with 9.6 per cent for the previous year. Of the total number of juvenile offenders, 428 (26.9 per cent) were prosecuted for robberies and 419 (26.3 per cent) for miscellaneous thefts. The number of juveniles convicted for crime was 1,340 as compared with 1,578 for the previous year, the conviction rate being 84.1 per cent.
36. Young offenders (i.e. persons between 16 and 20 years) prosecuted for crime totalled 4,403, a decrease of 119 persons or 2.6 per cent compared with the tally the preceding year, representing 29.8 per cent of the total prosecutions as compared with 26.4 per cent for the previous year. Of the total number of young offenders, 969 (22.0 per cent) were prosecuted for miscellaneous thefts, 363 (8.2 per cent) for possession of unlawful instruments and 345 (7.8 per cent) for serious assaults. The number of young offenders convicted of crimes was 3,795 compared with 4,229 in the previous year, and the conviction rate was 86.2 per cent.
137. At Appendix 23 is a comparative table showing the volume of crime in respect of certain major crimes in Hong Kong and some big cities in other countries on the basis of reports per 100,000 population. The crime rate for Hong Kong compared favourably with those of other major cities.
The Criminal Investigation Department
138. The Criminal Investigation Department is under the direction of a Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police with a Chief Superintendent as his deputy.
139. The C.I.D. headquarters at present consists of three main groups: Operations Group, Narcotics Bureau and Support Group.
Operations Group
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140. During the year, the Operations Group was extended by the formation of three new units, the Special Crimes Squad, the Homicide Squad and the Criminal Intelligence Unit, in addition to the Commercial Crime Office, General Investigation Office and the Triad Society Bureau.
141.
As a first step, a number of experienced C.I.D. officers were posted to the Criminal Intelligence Unit to form a nucleus from which men for the Special Crimes Squad and the Homicide Squad were later drawn, when formal approval was obtained for the two squads.
142. The Criminal Intelligence Unit (C.I.U.) was formed in July 1972 and was given its first major task when 48 hand grenades were stolen from a military camp in the New Territories by a gang of criminals. While at large, the gang committed a number of robberies, exploding a hand grenade at one of the premises which they attempted to rob, and avoiding capture on another occasion by hurling a grenade at a police patrol and injuring two police officers. However, by mid-September 1972, the C.I.U. had arrested seven persons. Apart from four hand grenades which were 'test exploded' or used in the commission of crimes by the gang, all the remaining grenades were recovered, some primed ready for immediate use.
143. The concentration of experienced detectives at headquarters continued to prove effective.
144. In a number of operations conducted either alone or in conjunction with other C.I.D. units, the C.I.U. was responsible for the solving of a large number of major crimes and for the recovery of a great deal of stolen property.
145. On the 4th November, 1972, the Special Crimes Squad and the Homicide Squad were formed, most of the personnel coming from the Criminal Intelligence Unit.
146. With the formation of the two squads, the Criminal Intelligence Unit, now much reduced in strength, has reverted to its formal function; that is, the collection and collation of high grade intelligence on major criminals, centralization of all Interpol correspondence and generally dealing with extradition cases, two of which have been successfully concluded while one case is still in action. During one of these cases, a bank draft for $19,000 Sterling, allegedly misappropriated, was recovered by police.
147. A great deal of the success of the various operational units can be attributed to three factors-penetra- tion of criminal gangs, an in-depth attack on high grade handlers of stolen property and high grade intelligence on major criminals.
Special Crimes Squad
148. The Special Crimes Squad Charter laid down that certain crimes should be classified as 'special' by virtue of:
a.
The value of the property stolen; b. The ingenuity of the criminals;
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