ENG-1985 — Page 247

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Public Order

THE maintenance of law and order is primarily the duty of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force. The high level of training and the efficiency of the force are best demonstrated by the effective maintenance of law and order in the streets. Compared with other major metropolitan cities of the world, Hong Kong has one of the lowest crime rates.

Other law enforcement agencies have major responsibilities. The Customs and Excise Department, together with the police force, plays an important role in the government's declared effort to stop the illicit trafficking of narcotics and other dangerous drugs. The Correctional Services Department administers the penal system and runs a wide range of highly successful rehabilitation and correctional programmes. The Fire Services Depart- ment, for its part in ensuring public safety, maintains a high state of readiness and provides a dependable service to the community, more than half of which both works and lives in the many high rise buildings of Hong Kong. The Independent Commission Against Cor- ruption continues its important work.

Fight Crime Committee

The fight against crime and the maintenance of law and order are given high priority by the government. The Fight Crime Committee, under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, continued to provide advice designed to combat Hong Kong's criminal elements in areas as diverse as triad and gang activities, armed robberies and the use of imitation firearms, youth and juvenile crime, burglaries in residential buildings, commercial crime and nuisance caused by vice establishments.

Although there was a decrease in violent crime, particularly robberies and in theft from vehicles and theft of vehicles, there was an appreciable increase in burglaries in residential flats. The committee's fight crime publicity campaign planned for 1985-6 concentrated in part on protection against burglaries. The campaign was aimed at assisting the introduction of the Neighbourhood Watch scheme, which was designed to mobilise the public against burglaries in residential premises.

The committee considered proposals to ban the possession of imitation firearms and to tighten controls over cartridges used in industrial fixing tools. As the poor standard of watchmen does little to discourage crime in multi-storey buildings, the committee con- sidered amendments to the Watchmen Ordinance. Other measures included the proposed scheme of using closure orders to tackle the problem of nuisance caused by vice establishments in residential buildings and a close liaison with goldsmith and jewellery trade associations in order to induce goldsmith shops to introduce adequate security measures. Discussions were held with government departments on activities under their control where triads and gangs might be operating with a view to neutralising these criminal elements by tightening controls and changing procedures.