ENG-1950 — Page 90

Literacy is a condition of recruitment into the Police Force, and a knowledge of Cantonese is compulsory for European and other non-Chinese members. Chinese members of the Force are taught basic English at the Training School, so that all recruits in passing out of the School have acquired at least some knowledge of English.

Traffic

The number of vehicles on the roads increased during the year from 14,551 to 16,028, excluding Service vehicles. Traffic problems have been aggravated by this increase and by the lack of adequate parking spaces, but one great improvement during the year was the creation of a silent zone in the centre of Victoria, in which no automobile is permitted to sound its claxon at any time of the day or night. Despite

Despite scepticism, this innovation was a great success, and was in fact an impressive display of public discipline and response in a city as congested as Hong Kong.

The number of accidents recorded, not unnaturally in the cir- cumstances, has increased:-

1948

1949

1950

Fatal accidents

97

119

128

Serious accidents

474

611

601

Slight accidents -

1,945

2,780

2,961

Developments

Innovations included the recruitment of the first woman inspec- tor, the appointment of the first Police surgeon with expert forensic training, and the opening of a Police Laboratory.

Other innovations included the mechanization of C.I.D. and traffic statistics, installation of a single finger-print index and a technically-equipped ballistics bureau, the institution of breeding and training of police dogs, the design and procurement of four armoured cars, and the completion of a very full system of communications.

Crime

The total number of reports of all kinds recorded by the Police was 264,204 compared with 197,443 in 1949. Of the 1950 total, no fewer than 102,245 disclosed no offence after investigation, leaving 161,959 recorded offences, of which 12,462 were serious reports, as against 9,331 the year before, and 149,497 were miscellaneous offences as against 110,159.

The holding down of serious crime to this figure was only affected by tremendous efforts in preventive work. The detection in serious reports prosecuted and cleared rose from 3,864 to 5,574 raising the rate of detection from 41.46 to 44.72 which is the highest for the last five years.

PRISONS

During the year 20,090 persons (18,098 males, 1,992 females) were committed to the prisons of the Colony, as compared with '21,456 (18,253 males, 3,203 females) during 1949. Of this number

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