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Chapter 16

Public Order

Hong Kong has long been regarded as one of the safest cities in the world, an important factor tourists take into account when choosing their destination. In fact, Hong Kong's disciplinary forces have become world-renowned for their efficiency and effectiveness and are often held up as a role model for others.

Hong Kong's crime rate the number of crimes per 100 000 population - is lower than that of many other metropolitan cities. The overall law and order situation remained stable in 2004, with the general and violent crime rates decreasing by 9.1 per cent and 5.6 per cent, respectively, when compared with 2003. The number of many serious crimes also registered a significant drop, while the overall crime detection rate was 43.6 per cent.

Fight Crime Committee

The Fight Crime Committee, under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary for Administration, provides advice and recommends measures to prevent and reduce crime. It also coordinates crime-fighting efforts and monitors their results.

In 2004, the committee continued to monitor the overall crime situation through regular reports submitted by the Police Force. It noted that the nature of commercial crime cases continued to be diverse, with no predominant trend being observed in any particular type of fraud. Notwithstanding that the commercial crime figures remained relatively low during the year, the committee was concerned that in the interest of Hong Kong as an international financial centre, good corporate governance was critical. The committee was assured by the Administration that a Corporate Governance Action Plan was in place to identify priority areas, assign ownership and devise a timeframe for their implementation. The Administration has pledged to continue to pursue initiatives to enhance corporate governance in Hong Kong.

On the rehabilitation of offenders, the committee welcomed the new initiatives. taken by the Correctional Services Department (CSD), with support from the community, to enhance the rehabilitation of prisoners and reintegrate them into the

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