ENG-1999 — Page 351

PUBLIC ORDER

In 1999, the CPPU and the SWD organised two training programmes, lasting two weeks, for 48 police and SWD officers on special investigation matters relating to child protection. In May, more than 1 000 professionals attended seminars on multi- disciplinary collaboration in handling child physical abuse and infant fatalities conducted by two overseas experts and co-organised by the CPPU, the SWD and the Hospital Authority. Also, CPPU and CAIU officers gave lectures on public education and preventive programmes to students, parents, school social workers and social workers from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on other occasions.

Apart from local networking, the CPPU liaises with overseas government and non- governmental organisations. In early 1999, an officer visited various United Kingdom police child protection units and NGOs and also attended international conferences, including a meeting of the Interpol Standing Working Party on Offences against Minors, which was held in France. The CPPU also worked on two pieces of new legislation against child pornography and child sex tourism. The bills were submitted to the Legislative Council in June.

Commercial Crime

Although the number of serious fraud reports decreased over the year, the level of complexity of the reports remained high and some individual cases involved. greater financial losses. Of the serious fraud cases handled, those relating to the abuse of letters of credit represented around 25 per cent of the cases received in 1999. Many of these documentary credit fraud cases arose from commercial activities linked with the Mainland and various overseas countries.

The main concerns in counterfeiting remained the local currency and credit cards, and cases involving both increased during the year. However, the rise in counterfeit local currency was very small compared with the amount of genuine currency in circulation and did not pose a threat to the latter's integrity. The increase in seizures of counterfeit credit cards reflected the results of proactive enforcement action. The incidence of counterfeit credit cards was low compared with other major jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region.

There was a sharp increase in the number of computer-related crime cases compared with the previous two years, especially those related to 'hacking' into computer systems and the publication of obscene articles on the Internet. The Commercial Crime Bureau continued to take a leading role in enhancing the force's capability in combating computer crime.

Narcotics

In 1999, heroin remained Hong Kong's most widely abused drug followed by cannabis and methamphetamine ('ice'). According to the Government's Central Registry of Drug Abuse, heroin was consumed by more than 85 per cent of reported drug abusers. As few traffickers used Hong Kong as a drug transshipment centre, the fall in 're-export' activities drastically cut the total amount of heroin entering Hong Kong at any one time.

During the year, heroin seizures totalled 319 kilograms and 15 heroin adulterating centres were neutralised. In the previous year 210 kilograms were seized and 11 heroin processing centres closed.

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