ENG-2011 — Page 377

Public Order | 325

Traffic

During the year, there were 15 339 traffic accidents involving casualties including 129 deaths, an increase of 3 per cent and 10 per cent respectively compared with 2010. The death toll from motor traffic accidents has been the lowest for more than half-a-century since 2010. The number of enforcement actions against traffic offences was 1 276 193 in 2011, or 3 per cent up on 2010. The enforcement action included 410 389 fixed-penalty tickets for moving vehicle offences, 796 802 tickets for parking offences, 65 421 summonses served for other traffic offences and 3 581 arrests for serious traffic offences.

Public Relations

The Police Public Relations Branch (PPRB) plays an important role in enlisting public support in maintaining law and order by working in partnership with the media and fostering good relations with all sectors of the community. Information about police activities is disseminated to local and overseas media round-the-clock. The PPRB also assisted the Fight Crime Committee in planning and implementing its Fight Crime Publicity Campaign 2011-12.

Police policies and operational priorities are made available to the public by Police Community Relations Officers while a Junior Police Call (JPC) Scheme and a Police School Liaison Programme serve as bridges between the Police and young people.

To keep the public abreast of crime trends and crime prevention measures, PPRB produces a number of publications entitled Police Magazine, Police Report and Police Bulletin. It also assists local and overseas TV broadcasters and film-production companies in producing TV dramas, documentaries and films related to police work as well as supporting the Create Hong Kong (Create HK) office in processing applications for filming-related licences. CreateHK was set up in 2009 to promote Hong Kong's creative industry.

During the year, PPRB published a bi-weekly newspaper, Offbeat; a JPC monthly newsletter; and the yearbook Hong Kong Police Review 2010.

The Police Force also organises a 'Good Citizen Award' Scheme which gives recognition to citizens who have assisted the Police in fighting crime. The scheme is sponsored by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. During the year, 80 citizens received awards bestowed under the scheme.

Police telephone hotlines and crime information forms provide convenient channels for reporting crime. By year-end, the Police had received a total of 22 908 hotline phone calls (excluding those made to the 999 emergency hotline) and 4 258 crime information forms, resulting in 171 arrests.

Planning and Development

Construction work relating to the relocation of two police facilities started in 2011. The two facilities are: the Police Post in Hung Shing Ye Wan which is being moved to Yung Shue Wan on Lamma Island, and the Kowloon Police Vehicle Pound and Examination Centre in Sheung Shing Street in Ho Man Tin, which is being