TNAG-0504-FCO40-569-Review-of-narcotics-problem-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 91

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13

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 19/2

Reference..

Mr Stuart

11. Watte

NARCOTIC DRUGS IN HONG KONG

1. Mr Rolph's letter (103) in SCH 4/1316/721 and enclosures of 28 January below. We have received the White Paper mentioned in paragraph 2 of Mr Rolph's letter ExCo has recommended that it should be tabled in the Legislative Council.

2.

Of the 3 papers that have now been forwarded to us by Mr Rolph, paper 3 "Internal Organisation in Hong Kong" is of most interest to us. In this paper Mr Rolph recommends that there should be a major re-organisation of the various bodies responsible for suppressing the illicit drug trade in Hong Kong. His main recommendations are;

(i) That the Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN) should be re-structured. In its present form Mr Rolph considers it to be unsuitable to tackle present day problems. Mr Rolph recommends new terms of reference and suggests a revised membership; details of which are given on pages 11 and 12 of the paper.

3.

[NOTE: The revamped ACAN did in fact come into being on 1 January]

(ii) That a Drug Addiction and Research Division should be set up under the Medical and Health Department. Mr Rolph contends that the treatment of an estimated 100,000 addicts should not be left to the Prisons Department and voluntary agencies and that the Medical and Health Department should assume responsibility for the treatment of drug addiction.

(iii) One further change recommended by Mr Rolph

is that the Narcotics Advisory Committee should be dissolved and a Narcotics Secretariat, responsible to the Secretary for Security and headed by the Commissioner of Narcotics, should be set up. Its main functions would be to service ACAN; to monitor the implementation of Government policy decisions and co-ordinate all the activities of the Government and other bodies. They would also initiate proposals for consideration by ACAN.

In Paper 4 - "The Law and Law Enforcement" Mr Rolph examines the case for strengthening the Law governing drug offences and also looks at the respective responsibilities of the Royal Hong Kong Police and the Preventive Service in enforcing the law. Mr Rolph suggests that there should be wider use of corporal punishment and this could be achieved by adding certain sections of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance to the Corporal Punishment Ordinance. He also recommends an increase in fines, and suggests that the limit of HK$100,000 should be removed and in the

/future