ENG-1994 — Page 349

PUBLIC ORDER

The bureau has embarked on a programme to improve efficiency and effectiveness through the gradual introduction of a fully-computerised system to house all records.

Ballistics and Firearms Identification

Continued cross-border co-operation has helped ensure that, in world terms, Hong Kong is relatively free of armed crime. The 265 cases investigated by the Ballistics and Firearms Identification Bureau during the year constituted a slight decrease on the 1993 figure of 318

cases.

The acquisition of a new and highly sophisticated comparison microscope, along with a number of other scientific aids, has helped to reduce the time taken to complete an examination in an armed crime incident.

Identification

The Identification Bureau serves all police formations, and plays an important role in criminal investigation and detection through its fingerprint technology and forensic photography.

The Computer Assisted Fingerprint Identification System (CAFIS), which augments traditional methods of processing fingerprints, continued to help achieve improved levels of efficiency and service. Full computerisation of the bureau's fingerprint records has been approved and should be achieved in 1996. Altogether, 1 112 people were identified to be connected with 1 084 cases in 1994.

During the year, officers from the Scenes of Crime Section attended 23 262 crime scenes to search for prints. As part of the measures to reduce the time taken to reach crime scenes, a branch office was opened at the Kwun Tong Police Station in June.

The Main Fingerprint Collection Section is the sole repository for fingerprint records in Hong Kong and currently holds 881 085 sets of fingerprints. In 1994, fingerprints of 201 330 people were processed, resulting in 86 602 people being identified as having previous convictions.

The bureau is also responsible for providing photographic evidence and other photo- graphic work required by the Force.

Interpol

The Royal Hong Kong Police joined the International Criminal Police Organisation (ICPO) better known as Interpol in September 1960 as a sub-bureau of the United Kingdom National Central Bureau. In 1994, ICPO had a membership of 175 countries or 186 bureaux. A police officer from Hong Kong is seconded to the ICPO Secretariat General in Lyon, France, to form part of a specialised group.

ICPO aims to ensure and promote the widest possible mutual assistance among police authorities in the prevention and suppression of crime, pursuant to the laws existing in different Interpol member countries and within the spirit of the Declaration of Human Rights.

Interpol Hong Kong acts as a co-ordination centre in dealing with criminal information and associated inquiries between Hong Kong and Interpol member countries which have diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom. It also maintains close liaison with local consulate officials and police agencies.

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