ENG-1979 — Page 187

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Operations

PUBLIC ORDER

The Operations Department is responsible for the investigation of alleged or sus- pected offences under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Ordinance and the Independent Commission Against Corruption Ordin-

ance.

The Operations Review Committee consists of private citizens and senior civil servants. It receives information from the commissioner on all complaints of corruption and on the progress made into their investigation, and it advises the commissioner which complaints should no longer be pursued.

During the year there was no evidence to suggest a resurgence of the large-scale syndicated corruption experienced in previous years. Efforts were therefore concentrated, with some success, on the 'satisfied customer' type of corruption.

The total number of reports alleging corruption received from members of the public, which dropped considerably in 1978 following the Governor's partial amnesty announce- ment on November 5, 1977, increased in 1979. During the year, 1,665 reports were received, representing a 35 per cent increase over 1978. Of these, 511 (31 per cent) were made by personal visits to the commission's main report centre (manned 24 hours daily) or local offices, 621 were by telephone and 325 were by letter.

During the year, a total of 284 prosecutions were made under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance or for related offences. Of these, 35 were related to police on-the-street arrests of people who attempted to offer them bribes. A number of prosecutions also resulted from reports by government servants.

Corruption Prevention

The Corruption Prevention Department is responsible for examining the procedures and practices of government departments and public bodies and recommending changes that could reduce opportunities for corruption. It also advises members of the public on ways to eliminate corrupt practices.

The Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee advises the commissioner on the work of the department, including the degree of priority that should be accorded to areas awaiting examination. During the year, 60 studies were completed and the reports were forwarded to the organisations concerned for consideration. Of these studies, 54 related to government departments. At the end of the year, 16 studies were in progress and 242 areas of activity were awaiting study.

The department's report on Supervisory Accountability in the Civil Service, an important study completed in 1978, has been considered and accepted by the government. A digest of the report, setting out the principles of supervisory accountability and how they should be applied in the civil service, was forwarded to heads of departments. They were requested to regard the document as a yardstick for reviewing their department's current arrange- ments in the areas of supervision and communication.

Since its establishment in September, 1974, the Corruption Prevention Department has completed 261 studies. The monitoring of the implementation by clients of recommenda- tions made in these studies is being given more attention. Also of increasing importance is the department's work in conducting training seminars on corruption prevention principles and methods for managerial and supervisory staff in various government departments. The ultimate objective is to have such seminars built into the government's own training programmes.