TNAG-1855-FCO40-2630-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-me-1989 — Page 10

HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 22 February 1989

香港立法局 一九八九年二月二十二日

8

Extensive and comprehensive measures involving our security forces are employed against illegal immigration. These include constant vigilance on the land border, round-the-clock maritime patrols by the marine police and the Royal Navy, road blocks and identity card checks by the police and specific operational action by the police, Immigration Department and Labour Department against the employment of persons without identity cards. In addition, close liaison is maintained by the police with their counterparts in China. Altogether I am satisfied with the action currently being taken,

There is no doubt that these measures have been effective in the last year. During 1988 nearly 21 000 illegal immigrants were caught either entering the territory or subsequently, and in the last six months of 1988 the monthly average of such arrests, at 1 200, represented a 50% decline over the same period in 1987. Another indicator is the average daily arrest figure which shows a drop from 104 a day in April 1988 to 29 a day so far this year. Combined with the overall drop in the crime figures and the knowledge that there has been no relaxation of effort or deployment by our security forces, there is no reason to suppose that there is any particular deficiency in the measures employed by the law enforcement agencies against illegal immigration or the criminal activities of illegal immigrants.

潘志輝議員問:主席先生,雖然答案的第二段強調,當局對目前防止偷渡的行動表示滿意,但從 報章報導所知,最近有非法入境者早上抵達,中午行劫。這顯示非法入境者能持械自由出入香港 ,只要早有安排便可以來港造案,然則保安司為何還說對防止偷渡的安排表示滿意?同時,根據 本人前日從政府有關部門諮詢所得的資料顯示,非法入境者行劫的數字已由一九八七年的14宗 升至一九八八年的21宗,同時涉及槍械行劫的則由一九八七年的4宗开至一九八八年的8宗,

即增幅為100%。保安司可否解釋一下為何有此劇增的數字?

SECRETARY FOR SECURITY: Sir, there has not been any drastic increase. Reverting to the earlier portion of that question, I can say that in 1988 there were 19 reported cases of robbery with firearms in Hong Kong, and between 1980 and 1986 there was an annual average of 23 such cases overall. This to me indicates a decrease rather than an increase. As regards the involvement of illegal immigrants in crime, particularly in violent crimes, out of 348 illegal immigrants arrested last year for crimes, other than using other people's identity cards, 44 were charged with violent crimes, including 21 relating to robberies. These figures compare with a total of 8 935 arrests in Hong Kong for violent crimes, and 1 816 arrests for robberies, or 0.5% and 1% respectively.