KOWLOON DISTRICT
Kowloon District is the largest population centre of Hong Kong, with some 2,403,220 people or 54.6 per cent of the total. The overall density is 14,816 per square kilometre (or 38,513 per square mile), while certain areas have a far higher density - in particular Yau Ma Tei with 66,962 per square kilometre (174,035 per square mile) and Mong Kok with 153,528 per square kilometre (399,020 per square mile). Indeed, the single housing estate of Tze Wan Shan has 145,147 residents in less than one square kilometre and it houses as many people as a town or city in many countries.
The district is divided into six divisions: Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po in the west; and Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin and Kwun Tong in the east. Plans were formulated for the expansion of the airport sub- division to a separate division. The overall establishment was 4,749 police officers and 671 civilians.
With the main population in terms of number and density centred in Kowloon and the admixture of commercial, industrial and tourist centres, it is not surprising that the district accounted for 65 per cent of the total crime in 1976.
To meet its many and complex problems, almost 8,000 regular and auxiliary police officers were deployed and strategies and procedures were reviewed and, where appropriate, changed in order to increase effectiveness in the fight against crime.
The year was one of change, adjustment, consolidation and forward planning. Kowloon District Headquarters moved from its old premises in Nathan Road to a modern complex in Argyle Street. Construction and equipping of the district command and control centre which will control the beat radio scheme was almost completed. Construction of the new Cheung Sha Wan Divisional Headquarters began and planning for other major projects were at an advanced stage, including Ho Man Tin Divisional Headquarters and Rank and File married quarters which should be completed in 1978.
The Criminal Investigation Department of the district, restructured in 1974, was reorganised further in terms of resources and activities. The reorganisation was mainly aimed at improving the scope and quality of criminal intel- ligence and taking a more offensive anti-crime role on the streets, in addition to fulfilling investigative responsibilities. Although there has been an increase in recorded crime, there are encouraging signs that key crime is levelling off, though the situation remains far from satisfactory. It is anticipated that with the current deployment of police resources, intelligence gathering and the co-operation of the public, the crime situation in Kowloon will improve even further in 1977.
Crime and Policing
The number of crimes reported during 1976 was 40,530, an incidence of 1,686.5 per 100,000 of population – which represented an increase of 12.5 per cent over the previous year. This increase reflects, in part, increased offensive and
preventive action taken by police and the increasing willing- ness of members of the public to report crime. In this context, it is of interest that private citizens made arrests in 545 cases. The overall detection rate rose from 49.8 per cent in 1975 to 63 per cent in 1976.
Key crimes such as robbery, burglary, homicide, rape and serious assaults showed a decrease, while the detection rate in respect of key crime improved from 37.4 per cent to 52.5 per cent.
With the relocation of Kowloon District Headquarters, a branch of the Forensic Division was established in the new district headquarters building. The narcotics laboratory is in operation and receives dangerous drugs exhibits for analysis from all parts of Kowloon and the New Territories, thus economising in time and effort and expediting results. The equipment for the forensic science laboratory has been installed and it is anticipated that the laboratory will become operational in early 1977. The attachment of crown counsel to the new headquarters provides additional legal advice and the counsel is available for consultation by police officers from both Kowloon and the New Territories.
The Kowloon District Headquarters CID provides support and direction for units in divisions. Additionally, various specialist units are part of the headquarters struc- ture, including district crime units which undertake the lengthier and more complicated enquiries; a district intelligence unit which provides criminal intelligence of a higher calibre; a district homicide squad which conducts some of the more complicated murder enquiries; and a triad society section.
Yau Ma Tei Division
Yau Ma Tei Division comprises two sub-divisions - Tsim Sha Tsui and Yau Ma Tei. The incidence of crime during the year was 6,924 or 4,126.1 per 100,000 of population against 6,051 or 3,497.7 per 100,000 in 1975, while the detection rate was 60.1 per cent compared with 49.1 per
cent.
One of the main crimes, which attracted considerable publicity, was murder of an off-duty detective constable in October. He was stabbed to death while attempting to prevent an armed robbery on a staircase in Observatory Road, Yau Ma Tei. A person was charged with the offence and is awaiting trial.
Tsim Sha Tsui is the main tourist centre of Hong Kong - with 1.5 million tourists visiting Hong Kong during 1976. The area continued to be plagued by pickpockets in spite of numerous arrests and wide-scale publicity. An analysis of the cases has shown that many could have been avoided if more care had been taken by the victims.
Progress was made in the eradication of vice and gam- bling, which had been one of the most persistent problems in Yau Ma Tei during the past few years. Current intel- lingence suggests that more than two thirds of organised gambling was eliminated and that the structure of the remainder became fragmented. The main effort against vice was directed at the wholesale exploitation of women
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