TNAG-1447-FCO40-1931-Executive-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-meet-1986 — Page 212

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Chapter VII Security of goldsmith and jewellery shops, banks and gold workshops

INTRODUCTION

7.1

Chapter VII of FCC Report No. 4 reported that the Working Group on Security of Goldsmith and Jewellery Shops :

7.2

(a)

(a)

agreed not to continue with the pilot scheme of visiting goldsmith shops and persuading them to improve their security measures, as the visits had resulted in very little improvement in practice; and

decided not to pursue legislation on the registration of gold transactions in goldsmith shops since stolen gold would continue to be easily disposed of without using such shops.

The Working Group decided to continue to hold regular meetings with the goldsmith associations and to consider requesting the allocation of more resources for the Crime Prevention Bureau.

STATISTICS ON BANK AND GOLDSMITH ROBBERIES

7.3

The number of robberies of goldsmith shops continued to decrease in 1985 when compared with the statistics for 1984 and 1983. The monthly totals of reported robberies of bank and goldsmith shops in Appendix VI show that there were 81 and 52 goldsmith robberies in 1983 and 1984 respectively, and the downward trend continued with 24 goldsmith robberies in the first three quarters of 1985. The total value of property stolen during this period amounted to $9.4 million as compared with $67.9 million in 1984.

7.4

As regards bank robberies, there were 54 in 1983, 52 in 1984 and 53 in the first three quarters of 1985 thus indicating an upward trend for 1985. The total value of property stolen was only $0.3 million up to September this year, compared with $0.6 million in 1984.

LIAISON

7.5

The working group continued to liaise with the goldsmith associations to keep up the pressure on shops to introduce adequate security measures. The working group will meet the representatives of the associations again in the near future.