ENG-1992 — Page 311

PUBLIC ORDER

is to provide the regular police with additional manpower for such emergencies as natural disasters and public disorder.

Day to day, the Auxiliary Police are fully integrated with their regular counterparts to provide a wide variety of constabulary duties in the field of crime prevention, neighbourhood policing, traffic control, special duties and community relations. The Auxiliary Police also provide support in communication duties in police command and control centres.

The present strength of the Force is 5 636 out of a total establishment of 5 746 in all ranks. Approximately 12 per cent of the Force are women officers.

Throughout the year, the average daily turnout of auxiliaries for normal constabulary duty was 850 officers. Until April 6, an additional 50 personnel were called on each day to provide guard duties at refugee camps set up to house the large numbers of Vietnamese migrants. Deployment as a regional reserve of the Force for unexpected contingencies and pre-planned anti-crime operations was subsequently made.

Customs and Excise

The Customs and Excise Department is organised into five major branches the Headquarters Branch, the Operations Branch, the Investigation Branch, the Trade Controls Branch and the Civil Secretariat. It has an establishment of 3 897 posts and is primarily responsible for the collection and protection of revenue payable under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, the suppression of illicit trafficking in narcotics, the prevention and detection of smuggling, and the enforcement of intellectual property protection legislation.

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Revenue Protection

The department is responsible for collecting revenue on five groups of dutiable commodities in Hong Kong - liquor, tobacco, hydrocarbon oil, methyl alcohol and cosmetics. In 1992, revenue of $7,277 million was collected on these dutiable commodities, an increase of $1,058 million (or 17 per cent) as compared with $6,219 million in 1991.

Duty on non-alcoholic beverages, which was imposed in 1985, was abolished on March 4, 1992. However, new legislation prohibiting the use of duty-exempt diesel oil by pleasure vessels was introduced on June 1. This was because the exemption of duty on diesel oil was originally intended as an economic incentive to benefit industry and fishing and not intended to subsidise recreational activities.

In a related field, cases involving the illegal use of duty-exempt diesel oil by road vehicles increased significantly. Some 338 persons were arrested and 122 664 litres of industrial diesel oil were seized.

In addition to small quantities of duty-free cigarettes brought in by visitors and returning local residents at the entry points, substantial quantities of dutiable cigarettes continued to be smuggled into Hong Kong from China by vehicles and small vessels. This resulted in a serious proliferation of the illegal sale of dutiable cigarettes in markets and other outlets. Enforcement action was stepped up to prevent these activities and, as a result, 1842 cases were detected and 15 million cigarettes with a duty potential of $8 million were seized.