ENG-2012 — Page 326

16

Public Order

Traffic

In 2012, there were 15,894 traffic accidents involving casualties including 120 deaths. This represented an increase of 2 per cent and a decrease of 8 per cent respectively compared with 2011. The number of enforcement actions against traffic offences was 1,471,631, a 15 per cent increase from 2011. The enforcement action included 490,769 fixed-penalty tickets for moving vehicle offences, 907,384 tickets for parking offences, 70,390 summonses served for other traffic offences and 3,088 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 assists the Fight Crime Committee in planning and implementing its Fight Crime Publicity Campaigns. The public are informed of police policies and operational priorities by Police Community Relations Officers while the Junior Police Call (UPC) Scheme and the Police School Liaison Programme serve as bridges between the police and young people.

The PPRB's Police Magazine, Police Report and Police Bulletin provide information on crime trends and crime prevention measures. In July, the police launched a mobile application enabling members of the public to retrieve police information such as the police hotlines, contacts of police report rooms, press releases and police recruitment information. The PPRB 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 liaising with other government agencies such as Create Hong Kong in relation to location filming.

Furthermore, the PPRB publishes a bi-weekly newspaper, Offbeat; a monthly JPC newsletter; and an annual Hong Kong Police Review, which won a Citation for Design in the Hong Kong Management Association's 2012 Best Annual Report Awards.

In 2012, 79 persons received awards under the police's 'Good Citizen Award' scheme (sponsored by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce) which recognises citizens who have assisted the police in fighting crime.

Police telephone hotlines and crime information forms provide convenient channels for reporting crime. In 2012, the police hotline received 24,005 calls (excluding those made to the 999 emergency hotline) and 2,332 crime information forms were received, resulting in 373 arrests.

Planning and Development

In 2012, the police continued to modernise its buildings and facilities with due regard to environmental friendliness. The report room of Wong Tai Sin Police Station was totally revamped, enhancing privacy and providing a more comfortable and user-friendly environment. A Police Post at Yung Shu Wan, Lamma Island, is under construction and is expected to be completed in 2013.

270