CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DEPARTMENT
To view the incidence of crime and measures taken to combat it in perspective, it is necessary to consider the geographical structure and unique socio-economic factors of Hong Kong. The territory has more people to the square mile than almost anywhere else in the world and, although the land area is spread over roughly 400 square miles, nearly 4.5 million residents are concentrated in little more than 30 square miles. In some areas, for example Mong Kok, the population per square mile is as high as 399,020. Indeed, some high-rise complexes with an area of about 75 acres house more people than an English town.
Although more than 98 per cent of the community con- sists of Chinese, they are divided into distinct ethnic groups often with their own dialect and culture. The population is still a very young one more than 43 per cent of the population being below the age of 20, with a median age of 23.
Hong Kong is an international financial, commercial and industrial centre and the community is subjected to various external influences. Major advances have been made in housing, education and social welfare programmes, but there are still many people who have yet to benefit from these changes.
Against this background, the basically industrious and law-abiding community was faced with a dramatic increase in crime between 1972 and 1974, when the incidence rose by 64 per cent. The Government, Police and the com- munity rose to the challenge and embarked upon a vigorous counter-campaign. Self-help groups, publicity campaigns, a restructuring of the Criminal Investigation Department, the setting of enforcement and deployment priorities to centre on crime, the development of new strategies and techniques all formed part of the effort.
The results were manifest during 1976 when for the second year in succession crime was held in check, although the overall level remained unacceptably high and gave no cause for relaxation. The distribution of crime reflects the fact that it remains very much an urban problem. Overall, it can be fairly claimed there was an improvement in the state of law and order generally.
It would appear that this improvement was primarily attributable to three factors:
increased public involvement, both as individuals and organisations, in the fight against crime the upturn in the economic climate
a stronger Police Force and the adoption of more effective strategies
Other factors, such as increased educational and recreational facilities and better housing, also played their part.
The restructuring and strengthening of the CID con- tinued and increased in momentum, hand in hand with the streamlining and improvement of strategies. Plans were formulated to enhance the counter-crime capability of the Force and far greater emphasis was placed on the develop- ment and use of criminal intelligence.
Offensive action was intensified, bringing about a marked rise in the number of people arrested and charged with
preventive crime offences. They numbered 8,426, an in- crease of 12 per cent over 1975, accounting for more than 20 per cent of the total detected crime. This achieve- ment was aided by re-deployment of ground forces in a counter-crime posture, thus providing formations with, where needed, an 'approved working strength' in excess of the authorised establishment at the expense of second- line support units. Part of this successful strategy was the formation of action teams comprising officers from the Uniform Branch and the CID, which took co-ordinated action against crime blackspots and fully exploited informa- tion originating from criminal intelligence units.
The most notable manifestation arising from these measures was the continued downward trend in crimes of violence. There was a decrease of 10 per cent over the year accompanied by a 36 per cent detection rate, the latter being a six-point rise over 1975.
Similarly, encouraging signs emerged in relation to robberies. A total of 8,895 cases were reported -- an average of 24 reports daily compared with 31 a day during the previous year, representing a decrease of 20 per cent overall. Furthermore, during 1975, robberies involving genuine or imitation firearms reached a peak with 197 cases, while the 1976 total stood at 117.
Burglaries also registered a decrease of 11 per cent, with a daily average of 16 cases. Of note is the fact that, in 70 per cent of the cases, the value of stolen property was less than $1,000. Nevertheless, the detection of burglaries remained extremely difficult, only one case in 10 being cleared up. Regrettably, but understandably, the culprits are rarely seen and the property stolen is often not identifiable. In an attempt to improve the situation, a pilot scheme has been designed in Kowloon where a single special unit will be responsible for dealing with all burglary cases in the district. The centralisation of expertise and intelligence will, hopefully, lead to greater success.
There was virtually no change in the number of serious assaults, with 4,613 reports as against 4,676 in 1975. Approximately half the cases involved thug or gang activities and the next major category was disputes.
The 82 homicides reported reflected a sharp drop from the 105 registered in 1975. In view of the relatively small number, the wide variation in the motive for murder (many being 'crimes of the moment' and the result of personal and private conflict), they do not significantly affect the overall crime trend.
The motives for homicides are a matter of interest:
Robbery Gang attack Revenge
Percentage of total cases
1974
1975
1976
25.5
25.7
23.2
17.6
12.4
8.5
2.0
7.6
9.7
Other disputes
14.7
13.3
17.1
Mental
2.0
12.4
6.1
Family and similar disputes Love affair
10.8
3.8
6.1
8.8
3.8
2.4
Unknown reasons
6.8
14.3
9.8
Other reasons
11.8
6.7
17.1
1
16
t
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