ENG-1979 — Page 188

PUBLIC ORDER

Community Relations

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The Community Relations Department is responsible for educating the public on the evils of corruption and enlisting their support in the fight against it. This involves not only the development of a greater awareness of the citizen's role in the community but also a greater faith in the possibility of eradicating corruption. In carrying out its work, the department receives guidance from the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations, drawn from a wide cross-section of the community.

The department's activities fall into two broad areas - public information and education through the mass media, and direct personal contact with the public, either individually or in groups.

The department has established the commission's eight local offices, situated in densely- populated areas and open from 9 am to 9 pm, Monday to Saturday, to receive reports of corruption, to deal with related inquiries and to establish and maintain contact with the public.

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During the year, liaison staff kept in touch with different sectors of the community through 9,023 meetings and visits. These liaison activities have resulted in many community organisations joining forces with the commission to organise activities generating a greater awareness of the need to root out corruption and to foster higher ideals for better social behaviour.

Work with educational institutes and the teaching profession continued in 1979. Seminars were held for teachers of primary and secondary schools to heighten their awareness of the contribution they could make and to work out action plans for promoting honesty and civic responsibility in schools.

The department also stepped up efforts to disseminate information through the mass media and by other graphic or written material. During the year two series, partly dramatic and partly documentary, each consisting of 13 five-minute episodes, were produced and screened on local television.

The Community Research Unit continued to monitor public attitudes towards corrup- tion and to assess the impact of the commission's work and its media and community education programmes.

Government Laboratory

The Forensic Division of the Government Laboratory provides a forensic science service to law enforcement authorities, including the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, the Customs and Excise Service and the Independent Commission against Corruption.

The division is engaged in the scientific investigation of crime and there are a number of specialist units. The largest unit is concerned with general forensic science: laboratory examination of exhibits from scenes of crimes is coupled with visits by scientists to the scenes. This unit also contains a forensic blood grouping laboratory, which has had considerable success since it began operations in 1978, a questioned document laboratory, and an arson investigation group.

Other units of the division relate to the examination of narcotics, scheduled poisons, and organs and body fluids in cases where the cause of death is unknown.

The Customs and Excise Service relies on the Government Laboratory to provide analytical and advisory services to protect government revenue. Tobacco products, liquors, denatured spirits, and treated diesel oils are regularly examined. A watch is also maintained for adulterated products, particularly liquors.