ENG-1998 — Page 348

CHAPTER 17 PUBLIC ORDER

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HONG KONG remains one of the world's safest cities to live and work in. Although the overall crime rate for 1998 increased by 3.9 per cent when compared with 1997, it was the second-lowest in the past 25 years. In addition, some serious crimes, such as homicide and serious narcotic offences, continued to decrease. Hong Kong's overall law and order situation is stable, with a crime rate roughly comparable with Singapore's and lower than many other metropolitan cities in the world.

The Police Force plays a key role in maintaining good law and order. Continuous improvements have been made to the service through:

(a) deploying more trained policemen to front-line operational duties. Since 1992, more than 2 000 police officers have been put on front-line operational duties, and a further 350 policemen will be deployed to these duties in 1998/99;

(b) adopting modern technology in policing, in particular in the use of information technology. A consultancy has been commissioned to conduct a comprehensive review of the force's Information Systems Strategy with a view to making the best use of advanced technology to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of police work; and

(c) cultivating a 'service-oriented' culture within the force. In 1998, a service quality improvement trial scheme was successfully implemented in the North Point Police station and gradually extended to Sha Tin and Sau Mau Ping Police Stations. Under the pilot scheme, the equipment in the stations were upgraded, reporting procedures simplified and the service of police officers lifted. It is intended to extend this scheme to other police stations in the next three years.

In the fight against corruption, the Independent Commission Against Corruption continued to maintain an upper hand. The large number of corruption reports received during the year underlined public confidence in the organisation and its strategy.

Fight Crime Committee

The Fight Crime Committee, chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration, provides valuable advice and recommendations on measures to combat crime.

Specific subjects considered in 1998 included the action plan for implementing recommendations of the 'Research on the Effectiveness of Rehabilitation Programmes for Young Offenders', legislation against child pornography and child tourism, regulation of obscene and indecent articles, proposed licensing control of