ENG-2004 — Page 412

350 Public Order

To commend the initiative of citizens in helping the police fight crime, the Police Force held Good Citizen Award Scheme ceremonies in June and December, with sponsorship from the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce.

Police telephone hotlines and Crime Information Forms provide convenient channels for reporting crime. A total of 22 487 hotline phone calls (not including those made to the emergency hotline 999) as well as 1767 returned Crime Information Forms were registered by year-end, resulting in 2 153 arrests.

To further publicise police-related information effectively, the PPRB continued to update the contents and improve the presentation of Force publications, including the biweekly newspaper OffBeat, the JPC monthly newsletter and the Police in Figures leaflet. The Police Review 2003 won an Honourable Mention in the 2004 Best Annual Report Awards organised by the Hong Kong Management Association.

Planning and Development

Following completion of the new Police Headquarters complex, the Force's large- scale building programme has entered a new era. The new Arsenal House complex is regarded as the most significant building project in the Force's history. Construction of the building, at No. 1 Arsenal Street, was completed in April, and the building has been in full operation since October. The new complex is a modern and intelligent building incorporating energy conservation measures as well as design features that minimise recurrent costs. The three main structures are the High Tower Block, accommodating various Police Headquarters units; the Low Block, housing the common facilities and public interface offices; and the Central District Headquarters and Central Division Police Station. By co-locating various publicly accessible offices. under one roof, a more convenient one-stop service for the public has been provided. In addition, sharing the common facilities, which include an auditorium, a multi- purpose hall, catering facilities and a firing range, has also enhanced police operational efficiency.

Other major capital works projects coming to fruition include a new police post at Penny's Bay that was completed in November. The police post was built as part of the associated infrastructure and community facilities supporting the future Hong Kong Disneyland Theme Park on Lantau Island. It also serves residents in the area.

Also being constructed are two purpose-built police operational bases. These house the New Territories South Regional Police Headquarters and Operational Base in Tsuen Wan, and the new Marine Police Outer Waters District Headquarters and Marine North Division Operational Base at Ma Liu Shui.

The New Territories South Regional Headquarters is scheduled for completion in mid-2005. This functional office complex will house all Headquarters operational and support units in the Region under one roof, and will enhance police responsiveness to incidents, as well as the quality of services provided to the public. The new marine police operational base is due for completion in early 2006 to replace its existing overcrowded accommodation at the same location, and has been purpose-designed for operational sea-going duties.