NEW TERRITORIES DISTRICT
New Territories District Headquarters is currently located at Tsuen Wan together with the Traffic Headquarters, but a new District Headquarters is being built in Sha Tin and is scheduled to become operational in 1978.
The District has an establishment of 2,757 all ranks and 412 civilian staff. It is divided into five divisions: Frontier, Yuen Long, Sha Tin, Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung.Frontier, Yuen Long and Sha Tin are divided into 12 sub-divisions, and there are long-term plans for Kwai Chung to be divided into three sub-divisions.
Traffic NT with its Headquarters at Tsuen Wan has four enforcement zones, namely Frontier, Yuen Long, Sha Tin and Tsuen Wan/Kwai Chung. The division also has four accident enquiry zones; Yuen Long, Tai Po, Sha Tin and Kwai Chung.
The New Territories continued throughout 1977 to develop at a great pace, with new towns at Sha Tin and Tuen Mun expanding rapidly with the erection of additional industrial and housing estates. The industrial estates and undertakings planned for Tai Po and Tsing Yi Island are beginning to take shape, and townships around Sheung Shui and Yuen Long continue to expand into the surround- ing countryside. Many clearance operations requiring the presence of police units are necessitated by these develop- ment and re-housing programmes, though disputes and conflicts between police and public are rare and the majority of the occupants usually accept the inconvenience of such movements good-naturedly and as being to their ultimate benefit. A once fairly tranquil country area of 235 square miles has been, over a short period, transformed and the population which now stands at around one million is expected to reach more than two million by 1983.
The huge increase in population has inevitably brought with it an increase in crime centred in the fastest growing areas of Yuen Long, Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung. The opening of Kwai Chung divisional station in March 1976 has gone some way towards meeting the increased demands on police in this rapidly growing part of the NT. The new NT Command and Control Centre at Kwai Chung station became operational in 1977, and the beat radio scheme in Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung has proved very successful as a new means of combating crime. Illegal immigration is a continuing problem requiring constant patrolling and vigilence on the border, outlying islands, in Mirs Bay and along the northern coastlines.
At all levels, every effort is made to foster good relations with rural leaders, village and rural committees, and other community leaders. Close liaison is maintained with other Government departments such as the District Office, Fire Services, Agriculture and Fisheries and so on as well as with Mutual Aid Committees of which there are some 130. Police officers sit on District and Area Fight Violent Crime Committees with representatives of the District Office and public-spirited members of the community. A vital and pivotal aspect in the fostering of community relations, in propagating a good police image and in engendering a civic
feeling among young people through such organisations as the Junior Police Call is played by divisional PCROs.
Tsuen Wan Division
During the last few years Tsuen Wan has been rapidly moving towards total urbanisation. At present, it is ex- periencing problems that are more-or-less identical to those encountered by its urban counterparts. The present population is about 200,000 and apart from a scattered residential area extending beyond the 10 milestone of Castle Peak Road the population resides mainly in the Government housing estates at Fuk Loi and Tai Wor Hau, and the private high-rise buildings in Tsuen Wan New Town.
The township of Tsuen Wan contains numerous godowns and other commercial undertakings ranging from small family enterprises to large modern plants. There was little labour unrest during the year and only 18 industrial disputes were recorded, all minor cases involving wage disputes and compensation. These were all settled after negotiation.
A number of major housing estates are presently under development. These include the Allway Gardens and the Golden Hill Estate which are being privately developed. Government has also launched two large public housing schemes - Cheung Shan Estate and Shek Wai Kok Estate which are now under construction. When all these estates are completed in a few years' time, it is expected that the population will be increased by about 100,000.
Criminal elements are concentrated mainly in Tai Wor Hau Estate and the Tsuen Wan Town area. The activities of triad societies have been greatly curtailed as a result of increased police action. There was only one payroll robbery involving the use of firearms. This crime appeared to be well planned and the perpetrators managed to get away with $30,000.
There were two cases of murder. The first one occurred in June when the body of a young man was found in a catchwater on Castle Peak Road. He had suffered multiple stab wounds and police investigations indicated that he had been killed as a result of a triad attack. However, efforts so far have failed to identify the person responsible.
The second case took place in September when a young restaurant worker died after he had been stabbed in a side lane at Market Street. Active enquiries into this case continue.
Two large fires occurred during the year, one at the Hoi Bun Godown in Wang Wo Tsai Street and the other at the Jing Sai Toy Factory in Fui Yiu Kok Street. The total damage amounted to over $110,000. During the year, a number of large-scale clearances were carried out by police of Tsuen Wan Division in conjunction with various other Government departments. All these operations were con- ducted successfully with the minimum trouble. During the year, there were 14 cases of drowning off the division's six beaches.
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