ENG-1992 — Page 314

PUBLIC ORDER

Apart from reporting suspicions and fears of corruption, some members of the public tend to regard the ICAC as a conduit for general grievances against various government departments. In 1992, the ICAC received 820 non-corruption complaints, 594 of which were subsequently referred to the government departments concerned.

Operations

The Operations Department receives and investigates reports of suspected corruption offences under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and the ICAC Ordinance and deals with election malpractices under the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Ordinance.

Of the 2 276 corruption reports in 1992, the majority were lodged by members of the public who either visited or telephoned the department's report centre or one of ICAC's eight regional offices; 68 per cent of them were willing to identify themselves. The year saw an exceptionally high proportion of reports which were pursuable: 1 679 reports contained sufficient information for an investigation to commence.

The department's investigative case load remained at a high level during the year. Investigations resulted in the prosecution of 303 persons; another 167 were cautioned for lesser breaches of the law. At the end of the year 117 cases were awaiting trial and 1 001 investigations were still in progress.

The department has completed 178 investigations arising from the 1991 public elections: 10 persons have been charged, four persons were cautioned on the advice of the Attorney General, and another 76 verbally warned for minor election offences.

Video and audio recording of interviews with suspects are now a standard practice in the department's investigative process. All interview rooms were converted to offer video and audio recording facilities by the end of the year.

After a comprehensive review of the Prevention of Bribery and the Independent Commission Against Corruption Ordinances, legislative changes had been introduced to bring them in line with Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance. These changes have ensured that the law continues its effectiveness and the ICAC maintains its capability to investigate corruption.

Computerisation of the department's manual records in a mainframe computer was completed in the end of the year; it has improved the department's capability to search and co-relate data.

Corruption Prevention

The Corruption Prevention Department is responsible for reviewing the practices and procedures of government departments and public bodies and recommending changes to reduce the likelihood of corruption. The department's Advisory Services Group provides free and confidential advice to private organisations on request.

During 1992, the department carried out 95 studies of specific activities within government departments and public bodies, addressing problems related to the implementation of policies and legislation and the management control of procedures and systems.

The department worked closely with the Immigration Department to plug any loopholes which might exist in the approval of applications for imported labour. This was complemented by a review of the labour legislation and corresponding enforcement measures to ensure compliance by employers. The department also conducted a major

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