ENG-1966 — Page 214

PUBLIC ORDER

CRIME

155

The 7.1 per cent increase in crime during 1966 was due almost entirely to offences which were committed during the riots in Kowloon in April. Although there were increases in miscellaneous larcenies and serious offences, these were offset by reductions of larcenies from the person and the various offences involving an element of fraud. The detection rate remained very satisfactory at 73.6 per cent compared with 72 per cent in 1965. There was a decrease in the number of juvenile offenders prosecuted and this can be attributed in part to the larger number of juveniles referred to the Police Juvenile Liaison Section for supervision as an alternative to prosecution. The exercise of the police discretion not to prosecute, which previously applied to juveniles under 14 years of age, has now been extended to include those under 16 years of age.

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So far the results achieved are very satisfactory and the rate of relapse in respect of all juveniles under the supervision of the section has been very low. At the same time a close and effective relationship is being established between the police and various other government and voluntary organizations concerned with the problem of juvenile crime.

The great majority of all crime in Hong Kong derives in one way or another from narcotics, and officers of the Narcotics Bureau made several large seizures of narcotics during the year, including one of opium and morphine which had been consigned to Hong Kong concealed in specially constructed false refrigerators. This one seizure had an estimated retail value of $17 million on the illegal market, and the total quantity of all seizures exceeded that for 1965.

Continued vigilance by the Triad Society Bureau has prevented any resurgence of organized triad activities during the year. The pattern of triad society organization has changed in that there is considerably less evidence of cohesion among the various societies. Members tend to operate as individuals or in small groups, and triad ritual has degenerated to such an extent that many thugs operating in the name of triads are unaware of the origins and traditions of the society. It has been made an offence for a person to claim or profess membership of a triad society.