TNAG-1855-FCO40-2630-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-me-1989 — Page 146

HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL-8 March 1989

香港立法局 一九八九年三月八日

19

鄭德健議員問:主席先生,我剛才的問題是:政府在消除居民這種恐懼心理方面,當局會在屋邨 做些什麼宣傳工作?

SECRETARY FOR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION: Sir, the important thing is to make the trap door and alarm system less susceptible to tampering. The trap doors are provided in case of emergency and we must strike a balance between safety and crime prevention.

Criminal intimidation

5. MR. HUI asked: With reference to the public concern over recent press reports that two employees of a magazine who were criminally wounded had previously been intimidated, will Government inform this Council:

a)

b)

of the number of cases in the past three years where persons who have made reports to the police of intimidation have subsequently been assaulted or otherwise interfered with; and

what protection is afforded to those who have reported to the police after being intimidated, particularly where the police enquiries reveal assault or other criminal interference as a result of the victim having made his original report of intimidation?

SECRETARY FOR SECURITY: Sir, there were 502 cases of criminal intimidation reported in 1988, 527 in 1987 and 500 in 1986. I regret that there are no details available of the number of these cases of subsequent assaults on persons who had previously reported intimidation to the police. The number of such cases, however, is believed to be very small. In the majority of cases of reported intimidation the police make an arrest. Where an arrest cannot be made, and where the person reporting the incident appears to be at risk, protection will be offered by the police. In the case that has given rise to this question, the police twice offered protection, but the offer was declined.

As regards the second part of the question, the protection given by the police varies in accordance with the circumstances of each case. Individual protection is offered where the circumstances so warrant. Certainly, any assault on, or interference with, a person who had made a report of intimidation would lead to an immediate offer of individual protection.