ENG-1967 — Page 202

PUBLIC ORDER

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the auxiliary police; a further indication of the support by the citizens of Hong Kong for the forces of law and order.

In the early part of the year, as part of a programme to strength- en police-public relations, a series of open days were held in a number of divisional stations which were open to the public. The local kaifong and other leaders were also invited to attend. Visitors were taken on a tour of the stations and shown exhibitions of crime detection techniques, and demonstrations by the police dog unit. They were also entertained by the police band. On other occasions parties of school children were invited to visit stations as a practical lesson in civics.

Courtesy scooter patrols operated by women police of the traffic branch were introduced during the year. In June a new police post was opened at the rapidly developing Chai Wan Resettlement estate and town, replacing two smaller posts.

CRIME

It would be unrealistic to compare crime statistics for the year 1967 with any preceding year, as the whole of the police force was engaged for more than half the period on duties which detracted from their normal prevention and detection roles.

Up to the end of the year more than four thousand arrests had been made and almost two thousand people convicted of offences arising out of the disturbances. Most of them pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Criminal Investigation Department was responsible for preparing the cases for court and for the prosecution of offenders. This task hampered normal criminal investigations as well as en- gaging detectives for lengthy periods which would normally have been spent on prevention and detection of crime.

Emergency legislation, which already existed, was extensively used and new offences were created to deal with the specific problems connected with confrontation. The majority of these offences came under the category of 'Against Public Order' and crime statistics, naturally, show a large increase in this category.

As is to be expected under these abnormal conditions, crime increased appreciably, particularly in robberies, larceny from the person (snatching) and serious assaults, all of which have some