ENG-1983 — Page 225

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to intercept new arrivals, the police were called upon to provide escort duties and to deal with incidents which occurred in refugee camps.

Within the police force, a major three-phase restructuring and reorganisation exercise, aimed at providing commanders at district level with greater autonomy in making decisions on operational and management matters, was completed in April with the upgrading of the remaining five former police divisions in the New Territories Region to district status. The force was re-visited by the former Chief Inspector of Constabulary at the Home Office in the United Kingdom who examined the steps taken in terms of reorganisation.

In a continuing effort to keep abreast of the changing needs of the community, the police completed the review of the deployment of the Uniform Branch, which was started in 1981. Following field studies conducted in three divisions, recommendations resulting from the review are to be implemented on a force-wide basis in 1984. This will result in improved supervision of administration and patrols; will allow commanders greater flexibility in deploying resources; and will strengthen links with local committees.

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On the managerial side, the year saw the first anniversary of the Police Force Council, the consultative forum which brings together representatives from various bodies - the four police staff associations, the Commissioner of Police and the Secretary for the Civil Service to discuss conditions of service. The new arrangements have proved successful and have advanced the consultative process so that the council now enjoys equal standing with the two other major civil service consultative bodies. During the year, six police civilian staff consultative committees in major police formations were set up. These committees have been working well and have contributed towards further improving working conditions and relations for civilian staff in the force.

The Inspection Services Wing (formerly the Force Inspection Wing) completed 21 inspections during 1983 and identified numerous areas for improvement within the force.

The police continued to give priority to developing high information technology which is proving a valuable aid in the fight against crime. The computerisation of criminal records was completed in August and ways of extending these facilities to other operational units are being examined. Planning for a second-generation computer-assisted command and control system went ahead with the appointment in August of consultants to conduct detailed specification studies.

Crime

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During 1983, 86 000 crimes were reported to the police, compared with 84 237 in 1982. There were 8 308 robberies, a decrease of 2.8 per cent compared with 8 548 the previous year. Burglaries decreased from 11 526 in 1982 to 11 308 in 1983. The overall detection rate was 42.9 per cent compared with 44.6 per cent the previous year.

A total of 34 773 people were arrested and prosecuted compared with 32 015 in 1982. Adults prosecuted totalled 31 785 and juveniles (under 16 years) numbered 2 988, in- creases of nine per cent and five per cent respectively compared with the previous year.

Organised and Serious Crime

On January 1, 1983, the Homicide Bureau, the Special Crimes Division and the Triad Society Division were amalgamated to form a new Organised and Serious Crimes Bureau, incorporating the collective knowledge of the former units while enabling the formation and its procedures to be streamlined. The bureau is charged with investigating only the most serious crimes that require a high degree of expertise which may involve protracted investigations.

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