ENG-1988 — Page 278

PUBLIC ORDER

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series of liaison meetings between the Royal Hong Kong Police and the Public Security Bureau in China.

During the year the Police Force was responsible for crowd control and security for a number of important visitors. In September the Princess Royal visited Hong Kong as patron of the Save the Children Fund. In May Mrs Corazon Aquino, President of the Philippines, visited the territory and attended mass at St Margaret's Church, Happy Valley. The first company of women police were among the police units deployed on that occasion.

Juvenile Crime

The involvement of juveniles in crime continued to be a subject of concern within the Police Force and among the public. In addition to ongoing efforts by the Fight Crime Committee, a Police Working Party on Juvenile Crime was established in February to identify and implement ways to counter juvenile crime.

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In early 1988 there was an alarming increase in the theft of cars, with some 140 cars of the same make and model having been stolen throughout Hong Kong. A task force formed to deal with this crime arrested and prosecuted a number of the culprits, and also recovered some stolen vehicles. After the arrests, there was a significant decrease in the number of similar cases reported.

Crime

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In 1988, 79 859 crimes were reported, compared with 81 928 in 1987. There were 5 705 robberies, compared with 5 461, and 10 749 burglary incidents (involving 12 084 premises), compared with 10 601 incidents (involving 11 587 premises) in 1987. The overall detection rate was 46.5 per cent, against 46.7 per cent in the previous year.

A total of 37 915 people were arrested and prosecuted, compared with 37 561 in 1987. Adults prosecuted totalled 34 181 and juveniles (under 16 years) numbered 3 734, compared with 34 301 and 3 260, respectively, in 1987.

Organised and Serious Crime

The Organised and Serious Crimes Group continued its operations against triad societies and organised crime syndicates. In one case, the head of Hong Kong's largest triad society and nine of its most prominent personalities were convicted of triad-related offences and sentenced to heavy terms in prison.

There were 196 robberies involving the use of genuine or imitation firearms, representing an increase of 49 cases against the year before. Altogether 57 genuine firearms were seized and 32 persons were arrested and charged with various related offences. Robberies against goldsmith, jewellery and watch shops increased, a total of 53 such cases being recorded, accounting for the loss of property valued at $65 million.

Commercial Crime

The investigation of groups involved in local and international 'long firm' fraud cases was a major feature of the Commercial Crime Bureau's work over the past year. Spurious and falsely-documented shipments of Indonesian plywood and the increasing misuse of locally-issued credit cards overseas were other areas of concern, enquiry and prosecution.

Constant surveillance of personalities engaged in counterfeiting and forgery enabled officers of the Bureau's Counterfeit and Forgery Division to neutralise a significant number of well-organised groups producing counterfeit banknotes, negotiable instruments, airline