ENG-1998 — Page 358

PUBLIC ORDER

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Public Relations

The Police Public Relations Branch plays an increasingly important role in explaining the work of the force and maintaining good relations with the public with a view to enlisting their support in the fight against crime.

Police Community Relations Officers and Neighbourhood Police Co-ordinators in police districts regularly liaise with the local community to explain police policies and priorities while School Liaison Officers give lectures to students on preventing youth crime.

The Junior Police Call (JPC) scheme helps instil respect for the law among the younger generation and guide them towards a healthy life. Apart from organising a wide range of activities for them, the force, in conjunction with Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), produces a weekly radio programme, Voice of JPC, to provide a forum for spreading anti-crime messages and promoting youth activities. At the end of 1998, its membership reached 205 933.

The force and RTHK also jointly produce two weekly television programmes, Police Report and Police Magazine, to appeal to the public for information on undetected crimes and arouse their awareness on tactics used by criminal elements.

The Good Citizen Award Scheme and the Good Citizen of the Year Award Scheme, introduced in 1972 and 1984 respectively, are long-standing projects jointly administered by the police and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. The schemes have so far given recognition to a total of 2 704 civic-minded citizens.

Information collected through police hotlines and Crime Information Forms has led to positive results and arrests. In 1998, 8 764 calls and 1 761 completed forms were received.

On the media front, information on crime, police actions and activities is disseminated to news organisations, both local and overseas, round the clock. During the year, professional staff seconded from the Information Services Department handled 222 982 media enquiries, organised 182 press conferences and briefings, attended 199 incidents to assist media coverage and issued 4 016 press releases.

These officers also produce a fortnightly newspaper, Off Beat, monitor media coverage of police and criminal activities, produce publications for the force and conduct major publicity campaigns including Police Recruitment and Fight Crime.

Planning and Development

In 1998, 60 video interview room facilities were provided in all major stations and regional and headquarters units. A force-wide programme of providing improved and better equipped fitness centres at all major police stations was completed by the year's end.

A pilot scheme was conducted at North Point Police Station to implement improvements including physical modifications and enhancements to service attitude and the delivery process. The scheme has been expanded to cover Sau Mau Ping and Sha Tin Police Stations and will be extended to other stations in phases over the next three years. Automated security systems which will replace Station Guards will also be installed as part of the improvement project to provide better value for money and to lessen disruption to the operations of stations.