ENG-1986 — Page 244

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PUBLIC ORDER

In May, the Commissioner of Police made his first official visit to Peking under an arrangement to exchange information and promote closer co-operation. This has resulted in improved international criminal police organisation (Interpol) contacts.

The extent of triad society influence in the community was a dominant subject of concern in 1986, reaching a peak with the release of the Fight Crime Committee's discussion document on options for changes in the law and in the administration of the law to counter the triad problem. Following an investigation, which started in mid-1985, police mounted a large scale anti-triad operation overnight on July 15 and took in 34 men for enquiries into various offences. In the wake of the operation, police set up a special anti-triad hotline, which produced encouraging results.

Other crime trends which came under particular scrutiny were the increase in shoplifting cases, most notably in the new towns; the law and order situation in unlicensed billiard saloons; and the negligent carrying of very large sums of money by victims of robberies who were often unaccompanied workers acting as couriers for their employers.

To counter the shoplifting problem, the police mounted a campaign in August to emphasise the serious nature of the crime and to draw attention to the re-classification of shoplifting as 'shop theft'.

Women police officers were being supplied with new winter uniforms as the year ended, and it is planned that they will have new, two-piece uniforms for summer use. Styled for greater comfort, ease of care and more modern appearance, the new designs replace uniforms which had not been changed for 21 years.

The Police Bands, accompanied by teams of police ribbon and lion dancers, visited Paris, Rome, San Francisco and Expo '86 in Vancouver.

Crime

In 1986, 81 411 crimes were reported, compared with 86 944 in 1985. There were 5 372 robberies, compared with 6 745, and 11 942 burglaries compared with 13 922 in 1985. The overall detection rate was 47.9 per cent, against 46.1 per cent in the previous year.

A total of 37 863 people were arrested and prosecuted, compared with 38 749 in 1985. Adults prosecuted totalled 35 265 and juveniles (under 16 years) numbered 2 598, com- pared with 35 585 and 3 164, respectively, in the previous year.

Organised and Serious Crime

A series of anti-triad operations was carried out by the Organised and Serious Crimes Group. Of particular significance was the neutralisation of an overseas-based triad society which had been attempting to gain a foothold in the territory. The operations also dealt a heavy blow to several other locally-based triad societies.

The number of robberies involving genuine or imitation firearms remained at broadly the same level as that of the previous year. A total of 139 robberies involving the use of real or imitation firearms was recorded, 38 of which were committed against goldsmith and jewellery shops, accounting for loss of property valued at $38 million.

Altogether, 18 firearms were seized during police operations, resulting in 53 persons being charged with various offences.

Commercial Crime

There was continued progress through the courts of a number of major fraud investigations undertaken by the Commercial Crime Bureau. Hong Kong's investigative and judicial processes were tested to the full by the problems encountered in bringing these complex investigations to trial.