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Information Technology

PUBLIC ORDER

The structure of the Information Technology Branch was strengthened in April with the transfer of analyst programmer grade staff from the Government Data Processing Agency to the Police Force. An additional post of assistant data processing manager was created in July to provide professional guidance to the rapidly-expanding formation.

An Information Technology Strategy has been developed and approved by the newly- created Force Information Strategy Committee and the Government Computer Commit- tee, providing a blueprint for future development.

A computer system was being developed for the Criminal Intelligence Bureau to provide for fast and easy retrieval of criminal data and complex intelligence analysis. The system will be in full operation in July 1989.

Financial approval was given for a computer-assisted fingerprint identification system to be developed to improve the identification capability of the Identification Bureau. The project will become operational in early 1990.

Two similar microcomputer systems to assist the Transport Branch and the Complaints Against Police Office were implemented in early 1988. The Transport Branch Management Information System is a management aid for controlling the use of vehicles. The CAPO index and statistics computer system was developed for the maintenance and analysis of statistics. Seventy microcomputer systems and 152 word processors were provided to various formations. From April the Information Technology Branch assumed financial account- ability for all computer-related expenditure and will continue to monitor the provision of computer-related consumables and accessories, and the purchase of information technology equipment for the Police Force.

Licensing and Societies Registration

The number of applications for licences, permits, registrations and other dispensations for which the Commissioner of Police is the authority continued to increase steadily. During the

year 21 278 applications for registration as watchmen, 200 applications for the grant of an arms licence and 11 540 other applications were received.

A total of 333 applications for registration or exemption from registration were received by the Registrar of Societies. During the year, it was found that many societies had dissolved themselves without notifying the Registrar or had become defunct. Notwith- standing these cancellations there remained 4 399 registered societies and 707 societies exempted from registration at year-end.

The Police Force investigates applications made to the Commissioner of Television and Entertainment Licensing and the Urban and Regional Councils for various licences issued by them and also supervises the premises so licensed. In this category there were 3 023 liquor licensed premises, 842 amusement games centres, as well as public dance halls, table tennis saloons, skating rinks, billiard saloons and mah jong or tin kau schools.

Work continued throughout the year, jointly with representatives of the trade, on legislation to replace the existing controls on watchmen with new ones on various aspects of the security industry. Minor amendments were enacted to the procedures in the Societies and Massage Establishments Ordinances and some fees were increased to reflect revised costs.

Police Dogs

Police dogs are trained at the Police Dog Unit at Yuen Long in the New Territories and are used for such duties as general patrol, tracking and detecting dangerous drugs. Compre- hensive courses are organised to train new handlers to ensure high standards of performance.

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