ENG-2003 — Page 384

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PUBLIC ORDER

action at CBRN incidents for both the Police Force and outside agencies. As part of this effort, the bureau continues to maintain and build links with overseas organisations. During the year, a number of bomb disposal officers from other countries came to Hong Kong to participate in exercises and training in order to exchange knowledge and experience.

Illegal Immigration

There has been an overall downward trend since 1993 in illegal immigration from the Mainland. During the year, 3 809 illegal immigrants were arrested by the police, an average of 10 per day, representing a decrease of 29 per cent compared with 5 362 in 2002. Of these, 66 per cent crossed the land boundary and remaining 34 per cent claimed to have entered by sea.

Close liaison in the form of regular liaison meetings and exchange of intelligence was maintained with the Guangdong Border Defence Bureau. The Guangdong bureau has been working in partnership with the police in preventing cross-boundary crimes. The entire boundary fence is now monitored round-the-clock with the use of advanced technical equipment to intercept illegal immigrants from the Mainland.

Police Dog Unit

There are about 170 dogs in the Police Dog Unit, comprising general patrol dogs and 'sniffer' dogs. The unit is responsible for ensuring that all dogs and handlers are professionally trained and their skills are maintained at a high level of proficiency. The unit also provides training to drug detection dogs from the Customs and Excise Department.

Special 'sniffer' dogs are stationed at the Hong Kong International Airport and at the Kai Tak Operational Base to provide round-the-clock service in search operations. The unit's explosives detection dogs also play a key role in security operations undertaken by the Police Force.

Traffic

In 2003, there were 14 436 traffic accidents involving casualties, representing a 7.3 per cent decrease compared with 2002. The number of fixed penalty tickets issued for moving offences was 374 714, a decrease of 4 per cent. Police officers and traffic wardens issued 506 286 tickets for parking offences during the year, representing a marginal decrease of 1.2 per cent. The number of summonses issued to traffic offenders stood at 62 195, a decrease of 5.1 per cent.

Police Licensing Office

Within the licensing charter of the Police Licensing Office, there were 223 127 holders of valid Security Personnel Permits (SPP) in Hong Kong at year-end. Legislative amendments to the Criteria for Issuing Security Personnel Permits under the Security and Guarding Services Ordinance took effect on April 1. The amendments were aimed at tightening the criteria for issuing permits to persons with criminal records and to ensure that people who are granted permits have acquired the basic security knowledge required for discharging their duties, so as to further enhance the quality of the security service.

To facilitate legitimate business operations under the Massage Establishment Ordinance, the legislation was amended in December. The amendments provide for a