ENG-1976 — Page 172

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PUBLIC ORDER

Crime is not a major problem in the Marine District, although the number of cases has increased in recent years. During 1976 there were 228 reported crimes, of which 108 were solved.

Community Relations

The police community relations officers scheme was expanded in 1976 to the extent that all major police divisions now have such officers. They concentrate on the establishment of close police liaison with the public, particularly with groups such as mutual aid committees and kaifong associations, in a common effort to counter crime. They are equally active in the educational and crime prevention fields, particularly with schools, youth organisations and recreational clubs.

In October the police stepped-up the use of television as a weapon in the fight against crime by introducing new versions of the weekly police report programme shown on all five TV channels. The programme is now designed to use television and viewers as a positive aid in helping to solve serious and difficult cases. The Cantonese versions of the programme have been extended from five to 15 minutes. They feature specific crimes in the hope that the reconstruction of a case, coupled with a dramatic appeal to an audience exceeding two million, will produce clues, information and other assistance.

The force's other major involvement in television, the programme 'Junior Police Call', forms the basis for a police-oriented youth club that in two and a half years has attracted 177,400 members. Each 15-minute segment of 'Junior Police Call' now serves as the focal point of a new 30-minute 'Youth Call' programme that made its debut on all three Chinese channels in June.

A young people's Help the Police Competition conducted during the year attracted the attention of 200,000 youngsters aged between nine and 16. The four outright winners fly to Australia early in 1977 to spend two weeks as guests of police forces in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide.

Administration

The senior command structure at Police Headquarters was reorganised in May, creating a system of directorship in the fields of operations, personnel administration, civil support and criminal investigation under the day-to-day control of one Deputy Commissioner of Police responsible to the Commissioner of Police.

An overall review of establishment was instituted during the year to determine a realistic manpower requirement and to ensure that manpower is employed to the best advantage.

A new police division was created to serve the rapidly expanding Kwai Chung area, and in the southern part of Hong Kong Island a southern sub-command was established. This latter area stretches from the Wah Fu public housing estate in the west to Big Wave Bay in the east and embraces the Aberdeen sub-division, the Stanley sub-division and the Shek O area. The area is also patrolled by the rural area patrol,