ENG-1984 — Page 276

PUBLIC ORDER

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One of the most gratifying aspects of the Junior Police Call has been its continuing attraction for young people and their parents. During 1984, an average of 3 000 new members and 250 new JPC leaders joined each month, bringing total registered member- ship since the scheme started in 1974 to 384 400 members and 17 098 leaders.

The 'Help the Police' Fight Youth Crime Competition, launched in January, attracted an exceptionally large number of entries and, for the first time, featured an English speaking section. The entry age limits were raised to 14-20. During the summer the six winners, all girls, visited Holland and the United Kingdom and the runners-up, five girls and a boy, visited Thailand.

The Good Citizen Award Scheme, jointly operated by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and the police, was expanded to include a Good Citizen of the Year Award to honour people who had shown exceptional bravery, or initiative, in arresting criminals or helping in the fight against crime. During the year, a further 68 good citizens received a total of $117,000. A total of 1 557 good citizens have received $1,859,400 since the scheme began in 1973.

Response to the telephone 'hotline' supporting the weekly television programmes Police 15 and Police Report continued to grow. In May, police announced the 2 500th arrest directly attributable to information received on the hotline and, six months later, were able to broadcast that 3 000 criminals had been arrested.

Staff of the Police Public Relations Branch newsroom handled 100 388 press enquiries. In addition, newsroom staff dealt with 11 724 enquiries from the public, and issued 3 186 traffic bulletins and 1 688 press releases covering all aspects of police work.

Recruitment and Personnel

At the end of 1984, the overall complement of the police force, excluding the auxiliary police force, was 30 273, an increase of 2.8 per cent over 1983. Civilian staff, at 5 439, constituted 20 per cent of the overall establishment.

There was a slight drop in the number of local applications to join the force; a total number of 11 640 were received compared with 12 049 in 1983. Of these, 1 277, including 59 women, were accepted.

Of the 193 officers appointed to the inspectorate, 71 were direct local enlistments, 70 were promoted from the junior ranks, and 52 were recruited from overseas.

Training

Facilities at the Police Training School were being expanded and improved to meet increasing needs. Recruit inspectors undergo a 36-week course and recruit constables a 22-week course which covers criminal law, social studies, police and court procedures, drill and musketry, first aid and, for overseas inspectors, an eight-week course in colloquial Cantonese. Recruit traffic wardens undergo a six-week course covering traffic legislation and procedures.

The school provides training for junior police officers to refresh and update their pro- fessional knowledge, for traffic personnel in their specialised field, and for newly promoted non-commissioned officers to prepare them for the responsibilities of higher rank.

The Regional Continuation Training Scheme operates from centres in each of the four police regions. It provides supplementary training for some 3 000 constables each year, during their first two years' of service. In addition, a scheme of continuation training for inspectors with less than one year's operational service has proved to be most effective.