ENG-1978 — Page 180

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PUBLIC ORDER

Corresponding with JPC activities, weekly Police Report programmes – 15 minutes in Chinese and five minutes in English - are screened on all television channels. These feature crimes the public may help solve by coming forward with clues, information and other assistance.

The police and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce together sponsor a Good Citizen Award Scheme to encourage people to help combat crime. Altogether 577 people aged from five to 80 have received certificates and financial awards amount- ing to more than $600,000 since the scheme began in 1973.

Overseas ambassadors for the force during 1978 were musicians from the Royal Hong Kong Police Force Band, supported by 20 male and female police officers forming ribbon and lion dance teams. The 120-strong party spent three months touring the United Kingdom where they received tremendous acclaim following appearances at the Royal Tournament in London, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the British Army Display at Aldershot, the Colchester Searchlight Tattoo, the Royal Show at Stone- leigh, the Highland Games at Crieff in Scotland, and the Carlisle Great Fair. The Hong Kong Commissioner in London complimented the tour party saying that they had given the name of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force a new meaning for the British people.

On the other side of the globe, the four winners of the third Young People's Help the Police competition visited the United States on their prize-winning two-week holiday.

Closer understanding between the police and residents, business people and com- munity organisations throughout the territory was fostered by the continuing activities of the force's 16 Police Community Relations Officers. This scheme is to be extended when Aberdeen and Tuen Mun are upgraded to divisional status in 1979. As part of the reorganisation of the Police Public Relations Wing, a central Police Community Relations Office has been set up to co-ordinate and implement policies.

Another community relations innovation within the Police Public Relations Wing was the establishment of a reception office to receive and co-ordinate the numerous visits paid to the force by overseas and local dignitaries and organisations.

Members of the public are able to register complaints about police procedures or misconduct by police officers through a Complaints Against Police Office. The Complaints Against Police Office was further expanded during the year and now has a staff of 59 police and civilian personnel. The office monitors all investigations into complaints made against members of the force, and investigates all complaints of misconduct by police officers other than those which allege criminal offences (which are passed to the Criminal Investigation Department).

The UMELCO Police Complaints Group, set up in 1977, continued to review the handling of such complaints. The group comprises six unofficial members of the Executive and Legislative Councils, the Solicitor General and two senior police officers, with the administrative secretary of the UMELCO Office and a police officer serving as joint secretaries. The group meets fortnightly.

Traffic

The continuing improvement in the economic climate resulted in a significant increase in the number of vehicles registered, the total rising to a new record figure of 233,150.

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