Police-1966-1967 — Page 10

burden on the Police'. The fuller development of representative organiza- tion at local levels capable of interpreting local opinion, guiding and explaining policies and laws ordering local affairs, should in day to day police work, remove any sense that the police enforce the law in an arbitrary way, and bring about a better understanding and acceptance of the need for action taken by the Police.

4. During the year the question of police/public relations has con- tinued to occupy my attention. An informal committee including represen- tatives of the public and the Director of Information Services sat with me to discuss ways of improving public relations. Amongst other measures referred to in the body of the report a programme of 'open days' was instituted whereby Divisional Police Stations were opened to the public who attended in crowds numbering thousands. They watched dog demon- strations, listened to the band and were shown round the station where exhibitions of police work were displayed. It is intended to continue this feature of public relations. On less formal occasions parties of school children were invited to visit police stations in Kowloon and importance is attached to measures to increase such contact between the police and young people.

5. The disturbances in April 1966 have underlined the problems of youth. In earlier years the basic problem of Hong Kong was referred to as simply a problem of people but as the increasing provision of housing, medical and other social services have begun to make inroads on this problem it is now possible to see more clearly the newer and more specific problem of youth. Half the population of Hong Kong is under the age of 21-there are approximately 2,000,000 under this age. The majority are the children of people who have immigrated from China but who have none of the experience of their parents and may not neces- sarily share their attitudes or prejudices. There is no evidence of any abnormal tendency to crime amongst the youth of Hong Kong. 3,380 were arrested and prosecuted for serious crime during the year compared with 3,023 in 1965–66. Allowing for the growth in population these figures do not indicate any notable increase in juvenile crime but it is significant that a large proportion of the small increase that occurred was in respect of offences against public order during the disturbances of 1966 when large numbers of youngsters participated in the demonstrations. 205 youths were prosecuted for such offences. At that time there was a good measure of vandalism, but there seems to be little doubt that many of the participants joined in the disturbances for the excitement it offered

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