!
198.
The work of Modus Operandi Section has increased over the last six months. From July to September 1972 M.O. searchers made 374 searches and suggested identity in 44 cases. From October to December 704 searches were made and identity suggested in 196 cases. During the same periods 35 and 30 identi-kit impressions respectively were made out of a total of 72 for the whole year.
199. Improvement was made by photographic identification units (witness albums) at C.R.O. and Kowloon. During the third quarter of 1972 1,220 witnesses attended the albums and made 74 identifications, whilst in the last quarter of the year 450 witnesses attended albums and made 73 identifications.
Identification Bureau
200. The Identification Bureau is commanded by a Superintendent of Police. The Bureau provides a specialist service to the Force in respect of all matters pertaining to fingerprint technology, police photography and the examination of documents.
Scenes of Crime Section
201. This Section deals with the examination of crime scenes for chance fingerprint impressions, the search and comparison of such impressions, the maintenance of special collections of finger and palm prints of convicted persons, and the presentation of fingerprint evidence at court.
202. The work of the Section during the year can best be summarized as follows:
1971-72
1972-73
Increase
Crime scenes visited
2,845
3,455
21 per cent
Scenes where impressions found
970
2,108
117 per cent
Identifications from impression found
42
108
157 per cent
203. During the year, fingerprint identifications played a prominent role in the detection and conviction of persons responsible for crime. In 10 cases of murder and eight cases of robbery, (where the value involved exceeded $50,000), fingerprint evidence was significant in conviction.
204. The role of fingerprints is well illustrated by the case of the man who was arrested in one Division on a minor charge. His fingerprints were submitted to the Bureau in the normal course of events and on search at the Scenes of Crime Section impressions from 13 other crime scenes throughout Hong Kong were identified as having been made by him.
205. Valuable fingerprint evidence, involving two persons, was also obtained in connection with the much publicized ‘grenade case’.
Main Fingerprint Collection
206. This section of the Bureau is responsible for the search of fingerprints of arrested persons to establish previous criminal history. Comparative statistics relating to this and last year show an increase in the arrest of persons who have no previous criminal history:
Arrest fingerprints received Identified as previous offenders
Persons having no previous history
1971-72
1972-73
42,969
42,526
29,539 31.6 per cent 39.2 per cent
25,846
207. The fingerprints of 295,588 convicted persons are now on file at the Main Fingerprint Collection. 208. The fingerprints of the unidentified dead are also searched with a view to establishing identity. This function is often valuable in the investigation of murder when the identity of the victim is unknown. One such instance last year was of particular importance when a murder victim was found on a hillside on Hong Kong Island. Delay in the identification of the deceased would have hindered the initial police investigation. The body was fingerprinted at the scene and, within the hour, the identity was established by fingerprints as a man known in the Mong Kok district of Kowloon.
209. Police photographers attended 15,602 crime scenes, road accidents and other incidents and more than 333,000 photographs were supplied for use by investigators and the courts.
Document Examination Section
210. The staff of this Section are involved in the examination of questioned documents. The authorship of Chinese and Romanized writings, the identification of typescript and chop marks are their particular interest.
20
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.