TNAG-2899-FCO40-4173-Corruption-in-Hong-Kong-1993 — Page 8

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As it takes a minimum of two years to train a reasonably competent investigating officer, plans must be made now to deal with expected

expected increases in corruption in the run up to 1997. There are also succession arrangements in place to both localize and strengthen the directorate level of this

this department. This will be needed to meet the demand for increased supervision and the control and direction of the department.

Corruption Prevention Department

9.

Corruption prevention is the task of a department of 57 staff engaged solely in that work. There are engineers, accountants and seconded staff from various government departments. The department conducts about 95 very

95 very detailed studies of government and public body procedures and advises about 150 private companies each year.

The service provided is essentially internal audit, with the focus on putting supervisory and control systems in place to

in place to block corruption or

block corruption or make it easier to detect. The choice of assignments depends on the seriousness and immediacy of the problems identified.

Community Relations Department.

10.

The Community Relations Department is fully aware of current public sentiments over the trend of corruption in Hong Kong.

Its annual public

public opinion survey, conducted in April this year, showed that 62% of all respondents perceived that the corruption problem would deteriorate in the run up to 1997.

the run up to 1997. This compares with 37% in the survey last year.

11.

The

department has been giving

giving top priority to work on strengthening public faith in

in ICAC's fight against corruption. Initial results are encouraging; according to the April 1993 survey, 71% of all respondents stated they had not lost confidence in the ICAC's ability to cope with the anticipated increase in corruption in the coming years, compared with 68% in 1992.

12.

The department will further intensify its efforts to enlist public support against corruption in 1993/94. a year-round territory-wide

territory-wide public campaign will commence in June to raise public vigilance against corruption and appeal for corruption reporting. This will include a wide range of public education activities in connection with ICAC's 20th anniversary which falls on 15 February 1994.

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13.

In addition, the department will push ahead with its corruption prevention programme for the business community, with

assisting individual to install effective prevention measures for themselves.

14.

view a

to

firms

The department aims to carry out 130 projects and 8,800 contacts with individual organisations, reaching

estimated

1993/94, 320,000 people in

in addition to a $2.75 million campaign through the mass media for the general public.

an

15.

total of

Looking further ahead, the department plans to set up a new unit in 1994/95 specializing in developing co-operation in anti-corruption work with China and the increasing number of PRC-funded companies in Hong Kong.

16.

The department is

for the next round of public of public 1994/95. The aim is to ensure

also making preparations elections scheduled for that election that election candidates

and agents are fully aware of the legal

legal requirements

for a fair and clean election.

17.

Amid growing public demand for anti-corruption education and publicity, the department will seek to obtain adequate resources for its tasks.

TOTAL P.06

9 June 1993

BY FAX

Mr Edward Llewellyn

Government House

HONG KONG

Dear Edward

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Foreign & Commonwealth

Office

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UJ 1993

London SWIA 2AH

Telephone: 071-270-3287

DESK OFFICER

REGISTRY

INDEX

PA Action Taken

LINE TO TAKE ON MEASURES AGAINST CORRUPTION

لار

1. I would be grateful for any response you may have to my letter of 27 May in the near future, if at all possible. Now that the ICAC has made a public call for extra manpower and has referred to "a disturbing rise in corruption within the immigration, customs and police departments" (SCMP 7 June), there may be some interest from LegCo members and from the press. We would find it useful to have some defensive material at our disposal.

Yous ever

Jonathan Marshall

J N Marshall

Hong Kong Department

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