ENG-1963 — Page 131

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INDUSTRY AND TRADE

The chief preventive officer, responsible to the Commissioner of the Preventive Service, commands a force of three gazetted officers, 234 inspectors and 352 rank and file.

To exercise closer control over sections and to attain better operational co-ordination the service was divided into two main operational divisions during the year. This re-organization was enhanced by the completion of the Kwun Tong District Office building which enabled a Kowloon and New Territories head- quarters unit to be formed and at the same time provided excellent accommodation for the service's training section.

The whole of Kowloon and the New Territories are now under the command of the deputy chief preventive officer and he is assisted by four senior revenue inspectors. This headquarters has assumed responsibility of a new revenue station at Tai Lam Chung which was completed in August.

The Hong Kong division is responsible for all preventive and excise duties on Hong Kong Island and in the harbour and the main sea approaches. The assistant chief preventive officer in charge is assisted by three senior revenue inspectors based at Western Revenue Station on the Hong Kong waterfront, Eastern Revenue Station in the Causeway Bay Magistracy and the Special (Anti-Narcotics) section, based in the Fire Brigade Building.

A third division, the Investigation Bureau, commanded by an assistant chief preventive officer, is responsible for all factory in- spections, more complex investigations and for all departmental prosecutions. He is assisted by four senior revenue inspectors in charge of investigations (general),"investigations (certification), prosecution and industrial inspection sections.

The service operates a fleet of nine launches, six of which are still engaged on anti-illegal immigration patrols under overall Police control.

Preventive Service officers searched 734 ocean-going vessels and 21,177 small craft inside and outside harbour limits. The nine launches patrolled for a total of 16,798 hours during the year. A total of 2,345 aircraft were inspected and 23,300 freight packages examined, of which 1,042 were detained for payment of duty. Land patrol vehicles linked to headquarters by radio telephone increased their activities during the year and more seizures of