XII.
LAW AND ORDER
%.
During 1992,
the
overall crime rate dropped by
9%.
However, organised
Armed robberies, which attracted considerable public attention last year, decreased by _________% .
crime and triad activities, theft of vehicles and smuggling remained causes for concern.
2.
As
a result of views expressed during public consultation, the Organized Crime Bill was amended to become the Organized and Serious Crimes Bill, which was introduced into the Legislative Council in July. The Bill proposes to increase powers of investigation into organized crimes by requiring persons having information or material relevant to the investigation to answer questions or to produce the It creates a general money-laundering offence covering the proceeds of all crimes. It also provides that, where a person is convicted of a specified offence, a confiscation order can be made in respect of all of the proceeds of crime received by that person. The prosecution
material.
is empowered to provide the court with information relating to the gravity of the offence and its link to organised crime, to enable the court to decide whether heavier sentences should be imposed. The Bill, when enacted, will facilitate more effective investigation into organised crime and enable appropriate penalties to be imposed on people involved in such crimes. It will also reduce the economic power of criminal syndicates.
3.
The decrease in armed robberies can be attributed to strengthened police presence on the street, improved criminal intelligence, which led to the successful arrest of a number
of key people involved in such crimes, and cross-border liaison with the Chinese authorities. To tackle the problem of vehicle theft, plans are in hand to increase the penalty
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